Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt came in at No. 10 on Pro Football Focus' annual top 50 players in the NFL list . Watt was the fourth-highest ranked defensive player, behind Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons (No. 7), Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (No. 6) and Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett , who was ranked No. 1.
"Watt's rare consistency and game-changing versatility make him one of the NFL's elite defenders. In 2024, he earned a 92.3 PFF grade — second only to Myles Garrett among players with 300-plus snaps — and was the league's only defensive lineman to post 90.0-plus grades in both pass rushing and run defense," Dalton Wasserman and Trevor Sikkema of PFF wrote. "Since 2019, Watt ranks as the second-most valuable edge defender, per PFF WAR. As the heartbeat of Pittsburgh's defense, he shows no signs of slowing down heading into 2025."
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt during a game against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 8, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
On Thursday, Watt become the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history for the second time in his Hall of Fame career, reaching agreement on a three-year, $123 million extension that includes $108 million fully guaranteed at signing, according to ESPN's NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Watt, who will average $41 million per year, once again tops Garrett as the highest-paid non-QB. Garrett was just made the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history earlier this offseason.
No player has recorded more sacks over the last five seasons than Watt, who has 73.5 during that span. In one-score games since 2021, T.J. Watt ranks first in sacks (43), forced fumbles (12) and batted passes (14), according to PFF .
Outside of their respective teams not liking each other, Watt and Garrett also have a heated rivalry. Watt believes he was robbed from an NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2023, which did not sit well with Garrett. The Browns' All-Pro edge rusher called out Watt after the Browns' Week 12 win last season.
"I've got a lot of respect for [Watt], a lot of respect for all of the guys over there… but I'm No. 1," Garrett said. "That's from edge No. 1 to Defensive Player of the Year. I'm the guy. That runs through me. There's no other person being defended as I am or schemed or planned against like I am."
In ESPN's annual survey that includes voting from league executives, coaches and scouts to help rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions, Garrett once again ranked ahead of T.J. Watt at the edge rusher position. Watt has better numbers than Garrett in almost every major defensive statistical category, however.
"Watt is a worthy rival to Garrett in the AFC North. His 108 career sacks rank third all time for a player's first eight seasons, behind Reggie White (124) and DeMarcus Ware (111). He's a near-lock for an All-Pro team every year. And he leads the NFL in forced fumbles (10) over the past two seasons, along with being second in sacks (30.5) and quarterback hits (63). But he's stuck in the No. 2 spot for the second consecutive year while Garrett separates," ESPN wrote.
One veteran AFC defensive coach had this to say about Watt, "He's still the gold standard for me. He completely wrecks a game and he can do everything."
Watt, 30, is also coming off the least-productive full season of his NFL career. However, he still proved to be a difference maker while recording 11.5 sacks and a league-leading six forced fumbles.
"Watt's play lacked splash late in the season, with seven total tackles and zero sacks over his final four games including playoffs. His pass rush win rate dipped from the low-20s to 18.5%," ESPN wrote.
An NFL coordinator added, "I thought he wore down a little bit. But their whole defense did. I think they just got tired, and the struggles on offense could have played a role."
Garrett earned at least 70% of the first-place votes in back-to-back years.
"Nobody is quicker off the ball. Garrett reached an average "get-off" of 0.70 seconds, per Next Gen Stats, tied for the quickest among edge rushers with at least 200 pass rushes. That resulted in 40 quick pressures (under 2.5 seconds), which ranked second in the NFL," ESPN wrote.
An NFC personnel evaluator said, "He has significantly refined his overall game over the years. A good tackle used to be able to give him problems, but that's less and less the case now. He's more consistent with his pass rush."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : T.J. Watt Cracks PFF's Top 10 List: 'Heartbeat of Pittsburgh's Defense'
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