Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt dropped 54 spots on ESPN's top 100 NFL players list.
Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt made ESPN's top 100 NFL players list again.
However, he dropped 54 spots.
In 2025, Watt was ranked No. 11. This year, he's at No. 65.
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.
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.
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-Pro selections 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.
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.
Watt has three 15-sack seasons (2020, 2021, 2023) since joining the league in 2017. The only player with more such seasons since sacks became official in 1982 is his brother J.J. Watt, who had four.
NFL insider Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports believes new Steelers DC Patrick Graham will give star Watt "the jolt he needs" to have a strong 2026 season.
Graham is replacing Teryl Austin as Pittsburgh's DC.
"Watt could also be in line for a boost in the new, aggressive scheme of new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who plans to move Watt around more than he’s been moved in recent seasons," Vacchiano wrote. "That could be enough to give Watt the jolt he needs to stay in the top 10 for another season or two before he heads to Canton."
