Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — T.J. Watt has spent nearly a decade setting the standard for edge rushers across the NFL. When you’re a former Defensive Player of the Year and one of the league’s most dominant defenders, expectations become almost impossible to meet every season.
That’s exactly why 2025 felt different. By most standards, Watt still had a productive year. He remained the focal point of every opposing offensive game plan, drew constant double teams and continued to make life difficult on quarterbacks. But for a player who has built his reputation of taking over games, his production wasn’t at the level Steelers fans have come to expect.
It also came at an interesting time. Last offseason, the Steelers made another massive investment in Watt, signing him to a three-year extension that reaffirmed his status as the face of the franchise’s defense. Fair or not, contracts like that bring another level of scrutiny. When you’re one of the highest-paid defenders in football, every season is judged against that price tag.
Now entering his 10th NFL season, Watt has a chance to remind everyone why Pittsburgh never hesitated to make that investment.
The arrival of defensive coordinator Patrick Graham could help make that happen. Graham has consistently built defenses around the strengths of his best players rather than asking them to fit into one specific role. That flexibility could allow Watt to move around the formation more frequently, creating favorable matchups instead of allowing offenses to key on him snap after snap.
The Steelers know what their defense looks like when Watt is at his best. His impact goes far beyond sacks. Quarterbacks speed up their reads, offensive coordinators dedicate extra blockers to him, and teammates across the defensive front benefit from the attention he commands. Few players in football can alter an opponent’s game plan before the ball is even snapped the way Watt can.
Watt revealed at OTAs that he’ll move around more in Patrick Graham’s defense. Watt typically only lined up at the left outside linebacker position.
“A lot of us are interchangeable partners,” Watt said. “You’re not just learning your position. You kind of have to learn the whole defensive front structure because we all are basically interchangeable.”
Watt admitted he was hard-headed when it came to moving around the defense.
”I think in the past, it was a little bit more about me being stubborn,” Watt said. “I think this new system allows [more of that, because] a lot of it is built in, so I really can’t say no. I have to move with it. A lot of us are interchangeable parts. You’re not just learning your position, you kind of have to learn the whole defensive front structure because we all are basically interchangeable. We can do different things, so I think you’re going to see a lot more movement of not just me, but the whole front.”
Pittsburgh is also counting on its veterans to lead a defense that believes it can be among the...
