Last season ended about as poorly as it possibly could for Pittsburgh Steelersedge defender T.J. Watt. Watt, who is considered one of the best all-around defensive players in the NFL, was held without a stat in the final two games. You read that right. We didn’t mean without a sack. We meant without a stat. Not so much as a tackle.
One big reason for this was the absolute lack of creativity and originality by defensive coordinator Teryl Austin in deploying the pass rush. Watt never moved from his spot, the team never moved him around or tried anything to free him up. It was beyond frustrating. But perhaps there is hope. Watt talked about the depth the Steelers have at outside linebacker this season and hinted this could mean Austin is going to actually make an effort to be creative this season.
“We have so much depth, especially at the outside linebacker position with [Nick] Herbig, too, who’s a more than capable pass rusher,” Watt said. “I’m sure we’ll have some cool packages and some new stuff for you guys to see.”
If all this means is that Watt moves to the other side, or runs a twist inside on occasion, it will be growing. But after adding Jack Sawyer in the 2025 NFL draft, there’s no excuse for the pass rush to be as stale as Austin has allowed it to become.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers edge T.J. Watt hints at changes for defense in 2025
