Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt is one of five finalists for the 2024 Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, the league announced on Thursday.
Watt is a finalist alongside Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zach Baun, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II.
Surtain won the PFWA version of the award, which was announced on Wednesday. The AP award, along with the other major NFL awards, will be given out at NFL Honors, which will be held on Feb. 6 in New Orleans before Super Bowl LIX.
Watt was also a finalist last year, but chose to skip the awards show after he learned that Garrett was set to win despite Watt holding better numbers in nearly every relevant statistical category.
This season, Watt has a tougher case to make by the statistics. Hendrickson led the league with 17.5 sacks, followed by Garret with 14. Wast finished tied for eighth with 11.5.
In tackles for loss, Garrett led the way with 22, followed by Hendrickson and Watt, tied with 19. Zach Allen of the Denver Broncos had 40 quarterback hits to lead the NFL, with Hendrickson (36) and Garrett (28) also finishing with more than Watt (27).
The only statistical category Watt led the NFL in this season was forced fumbles, with six. Garrett had three and Hendrickson two.
Baun finished tied for sixth with 151 tackles, leading the Eagles, who had the second-best scoring defense and gave up the fewest yards in 2024.
Surtain’s candidacy is not based on individual statistical dominance, either. He had four interceptions, tied for 10th in the league, and less than half of the NFL leader, Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph, who had nine. Surtain’s 11 passes defended finished tie for 25th.
Surtain gave up a reception every 15.8 snaps this season per Pro Football Focus, which was fourth in the league among cornerbacks with at least 500 coverage snaps. He had a 74.5 passer rating when targeted, seventh-best among such cornerbacks. The Broncos finished as the 19th-best passing defense in the league.
Beside Watt, no other Steelers player was named a finalist for any of the major AP NFL awards.
