TJ question

Why the hell does he “deserve” to play for a contender?

He could’ve demanded a trade if he wanted to play for a contender. Instead he accepted a ton of money to play for us.

No sympathy at all for TJ.

 

He could've gone out and dominated in the playoffs and made the Steelers a contender.

 

All TJ cared about was his own stats and getting the most amount of money, being a contender was secondary for him. If he really wanted to be a contender, he would've demanded a trade. Same for Miles Garrett.

 

Let’s first try to better utilize him now that he’s older. Rather than bull rushing him on nearly every play, try some stunts or zone rushes to get to the QB

 

Why would TJ want to do something that would take money out of his pocket? He's not going to make that kind of dough on the open market.

 

The issue isn't whether or not he is still good enough to start. It is that they are paying him like an All-Pro and he is nowhere close to that level now.

 

He is no longer good enough to be designing the defense around his talent.

 

Our Defense is all smoke and mirrors with to many holes .By the time we reach the post season we have to much tape and every OC knows how to eliminate our blitzes and chip our ends . I am still a build from the back in todays NFL , so I would trade him for a 2nd. and a 5th. or so...

On Offense we need WRS with speed and talent not only to play the games with ,but to practice against ..The old iron sharpens iron except our Offense is paper so our DB'S think they can play until they actually play some talent..

So build both those groups at the same time with young top notch talent ...No more BPA BS have a plan and draft the guys needed ...

 

Yeah... I haven't been a TJ Watt fan even before the freak level accident injury in 2025 but to say he is among the greatest of issues this team has is simply not true. If TJ had multiple season ending injuries, that changes the discussion entirely; doubly so in the Steelers case as they wouldn't have signed him. I am in full agreement with @Blast Furnace albeit one major critique.


T.J. Watt alone doesn't need a new creative mind for the Defense. The entire Defense does. T.J. is the elder statesman but the biggest beneficiaries would be the likes of Payton Wilson, Joey Porter Jr, Yahya Black, Jack Sawyer and Derrick Harmon.

 

Plus the Cowboys are in a poor cap position

 

Now that’s some quality bull**** you made up there

 

plus they have to worry about pickens.

 

Someone on the radio said something interesting yesterday... they said if Flores comes in, that there is no way any of those guys in the front seven will stay still and line up in the same spot every play. They will move around and show different looks.

The past 2 years of allowing TJ to fight triple teams is absolute BS. They needed to get more creative than that.

 

Or You could Be green bay, and trade 2 first round picks, a pro bowl DL, and pay the player you traded for the highest paid contract outside of a Qb, and still end up the exact same as we did.

 

They did, but he wasn't fighting triple teams. He was getting double-teamed some and chipped a lot, but teams started to realize they don't have to pay as much attention to him later in the season. The Steelers went 2-1 and their defense arguably looked as good as it had all season when he was out of the lineup.

 

I Laugh at all the they need to move TJ around crap. Like all of a sudden moving him means the OL doesn't know who he is. LoL.
Example: When we played Cleveland twice this year they moved Garrett all over.....did one time it look like we didn't know where he was, and we didn't just then double him, or play away from him. You people hear one person say something, and repeat it, and they repeat it, and so on until it becomes a weird sort of truth in your minds.
No matter where you move a guy with the name like Watt, Garrett, and anyone of their like. The OC has schemed to take them away, and aren't dumb like people suggest, and have key calls, and plays for wherever you move them. They don't win because You moved them, they win because they beat the guys against them.

 

The quote I'm referring to they actually called out Heyward for lining up over the same gap every play.

The thing about Garrett is he can line up outside, and then he will loop in to rush an inside gap.

All TJ is doing is running the outside arc, every play. That's all he is doing. They could have him sometimes do what Garrett does as I mentioned above, but they never did.

 

But that's not true. Every game I have watched Watt drops in coverage, stunts, rushes wide, and has many different rushes .
Same with Heyward. They may basically line up in the same spot, but they don't rush the same rush . Some are inside one gap one time, and a totality different one another. I don't know who told You they don't.

 

Yes

They had to worry about him all season

Now they have to worry about over paying him

 

That's not fair to compare what Garrett does to Watt considering Garrett is a natural DE in a 4/3 defense, it also has been reported Watt doesn't like moving around he prefers rushing from his regular side.

 

Watt is dropping into coverage less and less it seems... maybe that was due to the injuries this year?

I saw Watt loop inside for the first time against the Texans. I was shocked. It was late in the game, maybe they were getting desperate? But I haven't seen much of that throughout his entire time here.

No, he is pretty much an outside rusher who plays up on the line, with inside pass rush moves that he rarely uses. I have never seen him cross up with whichever DE is playing on his side.

I just go back to the early Lebeau/Capers 3-4, I know it isn't 1992, but I think a lot of the creativity has gotten lost. They can't have 3 guys chip you if they don't know what you are going to do.

 

Ima revisit my original thoughts in this thread because it does seem like TJ is going to want out and demand a trade. I guess his feelings may change once a new HC is announced and this initial shock wears off.

 

This all comes down to his health, and what production he will give use moving forward?

If he was hurt this year and we suspect his production will return...Steelers are probably fine to keep him. We have no QB on this team sucking cap space.

If he is on a downward spiral the team might be more apt to move him, we have guys who can easily step in with Herbig and Sawyer.

I guess he could force a trade if he really wants a ring that badly, but he doesn't strike me as a guy who would do that?