PITTSBURGH — When the Pittsburgh Steelers inked star outside linebacker T.J. Watt to an extension that averaged $41 million per year this offseason, they were hoping to see the elite pass rusher they had become accustomed to since they picked him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Yet, that has not fully come to fruition yet. Watt is on pace for a career-low total in pressure and pressure rate, while registering seven sacks. Many of those plays have been hugely impactful, and Watt has played well, but he does not look like a $41 million superstar.
Meanwhile, in recent weeks, teams have started to run at him in the run game. The Bills ran off the right edge over fifteen times against the Steelers last week, and doing so to the tune of 138 rushing yards.
Now, not all of that is on Watt. Yahya Black had a rough game and Joey Porter Jr. was up and down throughout the contest. So, it remains to be seen if teams will try and run directly at Watt more.
Yet, the decline in his explosiveness might be the biggest thing to note. In 2022, Watt had a first step that was one of the fastest in football. He got off the line of scrimmage in .75 seconds, but this year, it is one-tenth of a second slower at .87 seconds.
That is not a bad first step by any means. Watt actually still has above average explosiveness, but it is not the elite explosion that made his speed rush so dangerous early in his career.
When asked about that on Friday, Watt brushed it aside, stating he just ‘wanted to win.’
This preseason, Watt wanted to move around more, but that has not come about, and he has struggled when blitzing from other sides. At 31-years-old, Watt is still operating as if he has elite explosiveness, but the stats say he does not.
In defense of Watt, he has been the most chipped pass rusher in football and on top of that, has seen a career-high double team rate. That certainly could contribute to those stats, so his avoidance of the question could very well be true.
Back in training camp, Watt acknowledged he would not be explosive forever, but he would look to evolve his game as a power rusher throughout his career.
“I’d like to think the explosiveness will always be there,” Watt said in August. “Realistically, I don’t know if that’s the case. It still is right now, but it’s constantly about finding new ways to win. Evolve with the game. Like coach [Mike Tomlin] says, ‘Adapt or die.’ But at the end of the day, if you have a fastball that works, keep throwing that fastball.”
His fastball, his cross chop around the edge, relies on his excellent burst to corner the edge along with elite bend to shorten the angles it takes to get the quarterback. Watt has shown plenty of flashes that he can still do that.
However, right now, he looks like a useful player, not the elite one the Steelers paid for, and that might be an issue moving forward.