This must be tough for T.J. Watt.
NFL scouts for Bleacher Report rank Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt 41st-best among defensive players in the league.
Watt is one spot ahead of Devin Lloyd of the Carolina Panthers and one spot behind Zack Braun of the Philadelphia Eagles.
"A gold jacket is waiting for T.J. Watt whenever he decides to hang up his cleats," Bleacher Report wrote. "However, the future Hall of Famer's production dipped last season, as he isn't the same player he used to be. Watt can still win on the high side of the rush but lacks a good change-up to keep offensive tackles honest. At this stage of his career, Watt is also more of a finesse player against the run."
The Steelers signed Watt to a three-year, $123 million contract in 2025, with $108 million guaranteed. Watt turns 32 in October and has guaranteed salaries of $32 million in both 2026 and 2027.
A future Hall of Famer, Watt appeared in 14 games for the Steelers last season. He finished with seven sacks, 23 solo tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 19 QB hits.
Watt has spent his entire NFL career in Pittsburgh. He enters next season with 115 sacks, 354 solo tackles, 136 tackles for loss and 244 QB hits. He's made eight Pro Bowls and four All-Pros and won the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year Award.
However, the Steelers are 0-5 in the playoffs in the Watt era. So even though Watt has put up incredible numbers, he hasn't helped Pittsburgh win a postseason game.
Last year, Watt was the second-ranked edge rusher in the NFL. This year? He's down to No. 7.
"This is a sizable fall for Watt, a three-time sack king who logged back-to-back No. 2 rankings over the past two years," Jeremy Fowler of ESPN wrote. "Watt missed three late-season games in 2025 with a partially collapsed lung due to an accident during a routine dry needling incident at the team facility. But his pass rush win rate in 14 games was 11.7%, the lowest among this year's top 10 rushers."
"Definitely in decline," an AFC exec said. "He's still very good. But some of the younger players have surpassed him."
The Steelers open the 2026 season against the Atlanta Falcons.
Let's see if Watt can shut his critics up by racking up some sacks and tackles in that game.
