Watt recorded his 12th sack of the season Monday, allowing him to maintain his league-leading mark in the category. [15], The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Watt in the first round with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Mike Tomlin chose to sit TJ Watt out during Week 17 against the Browns so he was 2 shy from breaking James Harrison's single-season sack record. With Sunday's sack, Watt now leads the team in the category with 5.5 sacks over the first six games of the season. Watt was added to the Steelers' injury report Thursday after a knee injury kept him off the practice field, but his ability to take every rep a day later suggests his absence may have been maintenance-related more than anything else. Watt recorded four tackles and 2.5 sacks in Sunday's 26-21 win over the Broncos. His two older brothers, J.J. and Derek, both played at Wisconsin and are both currently playing in the NFL. Watt was raised by his parents, Connie and John Watt, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Ever since T.J. Watt first stepped on the field in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, he’s been one of the top defensive playmakers in the entire NFL. [59][60], Starting in 2013, the sack leader is officially given the Deacon Jones Award, Pittsburgh Steelers first-round draft picks, T.J. Watt runs the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds, T.J. Watt puts game in ice with last second strip sack, T.J. watt strip sacks Ryan and Fort recovers for TD, Top 5 T.J. Watt plays vs. Browns in Week 1, "Wisconsin LB T.J. Watt is stepping out from brother J.J.'s shadow to lead Wisconsin at Cotton Bowl", "Badgers football: T.J. Watt becoming star for UW just a year after position change", "SC on the Road: T.J. Watt carrying on a family tradition at Wisconsin", "Wisconsin Football: Is TJ Watt Headed to the NFL Draft? He was also nominated for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, finishing third in voting. [4], In July 2015, Watt was asked by head coach Paul Chryst to switch to a defensive position as a redshirt sophomore. Since being drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Watt has 38 career sacks. [32] [41] For his performance in November, Watt earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month. Watt sat out the Steelers' regular-season finale since the team had already clinched a spot in the playoffs, but he still maintained his league lead in sacks. In Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens, Watt recorded a sack on Lamar Jackson and hit him a total of five times during the 28–24 win. In Week 14 against the Arizona Cardinals, Watt recorded his second interception of the season in the endzone off a pass thrown by Kyler Murray during the 23–17 win. [20], Surprisingly, the Green Bay Packers, his home state team, chose to trade the 29th pick over selecting Watt despite the Packers' need to improve their pass rush. Not too shabby considering he has zero help on the other edge. His strip-sack in the final minute of the first half set up a game-tying touchdown with four seconds remaining. In Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Watt recorded two sacks on rookie quarterback Joe Burrow during the 36–10 win. [43] Following the season, Watt was ranked 25th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020. Following his two sacks in Wednesday's contest, Watt now leads the league with 11 sacks over the first 11 games of 2020. [37] After the season, Watt was ranked #93 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019. [30] He tied Bud Dupree (2014) and LaMarr Woodley (2007) for the franchise record for most sacks by a rookie with his fourth. The 2017 first-rounder has been a defensive force this season, picking up 39 tackles (30 solo), one interception and six pass defenses. He also forced a Devin Singletary fumble that was recovered by Mike Hilton as Buffalo was driving in Pittsburgh territory, temporarily preserving a 10-7 lead. [47] In Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers, Watt recorded his first interception of the season off Jimmy Garoppolo in the 24–20 loss. T.J. Watt represented the family name well in his first NFL action with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Watt came away with 1.5 sacks. Watt has suited up for all 15 of Pittsburgh's games thus far, so he'll be afforded a chance to rest up for the postseason. During his three seasons with the Steelers, Watt has already racked up 34.5 sacks. Watt had one tackle (solo) and an interception in the Steelers' 26-16 Week 1 win over the Giants on Monday. His older brothers are J. J. Watt of the Arizona Cardinals and Derek Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Watt finishes the 2019 season tied for fourth in the league -- and leading the team -- with 14.5 sacks. TJ busted out his junior season accounting for 63 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks. He has four double-digit sack seasons to … [9] On January 3, 2017, Watt announced on Twitter that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2017 NFL Draft. [35] On October 7, 2018, Watt recorded eight combined tackles, tied his season-high of three sacks, and forced a fumble in the Steelers’ 41-17 win against the Atlanta Falcons. Additionally, Watt’s 46 total quarterback hits are the most in the NFL since 2019. [13][14] ESPN In Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins, Watt recorded two sacks on Ryan Fitzpatrick, one of which was a strip sack that he forced and recovered, in the 27–14 win. Watt had five tackles (two solo) including a sack and recovered a fumble in Pittsburgh's 16-10 loss Sunday. Watt will not play against the Browns on Sunday, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Watt was voted All-Pro as both edge rusher (1st Team) and linebacker (2nd Team). T.J. Watt was excellent as a rookie in 2017, but for the Pittsburgh Steelers to make a run towards the Super Bowl, they needed him to evolve. Latest on Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt including complete game-by-game stats on ESPN He formed a dynamic duo with T.J. Watt , who posted a heartfelt message for Dupree on social media. Trent Jordan "T. pic.twitter.com/3Lhe7y8Th1 — Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 16, 2019 "[5] After the fourth game of his junior season, he led the Big Ten conference in sacks. T.J. Watt stats (2018): 52 total pressures, 21 quarterback hits, 13 sacks, 12 tackles for loss T.J. Watt stats (2019): 81 total pressures, 36 quarterback hits, 14.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss [58], He is in a relationship with professional soccer player Dani Rhodes. He finished the 2020 season in Week 15 with 53 combined tackles, 43 solo tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 41 quarterback hits, and 15 total sacks. [36] He started in all 16 games in 2018 and recorded 68 combined tackles (50 solo), 13 sacks, six forced fumbles, and three pass deflections. [52] Watt totaled six tackles (five solo), including one sack, along with one forced fumble in Monday's 23-17 loss to Washington. But then there is Heyward. Watt (shoulder) was a full participant for Thursday's practice, Missi Matthews of the Steelers' official site reports. He will look to add to that total in Week 17 against the Ravens. A 2017 first-round pick, he has 20 sacks over his past 24 regular-season games. He recorded his first career sack, tackle, and interception during the game and returned the interception for 17-yards. [2] Badgers' outside linebackers coach Tim Tibesar recalled Watt's position change saying, "At that time, even though he was in his third fall at Wisconsin, it was kind of like having a freshman come in. The star linebacker's next appearance will come in the wild-card round of the playoffs. [25] Watt saw action in the NFL for the first time in the team's first preseason game against the New York Giants, where he made two sacks in the 20–12 victory. [49] Watt also showed his athletic ability on a pick six vs Purdue that can be seen below. As a team, the Steelers collected five sacks, extending their streak of games with at least one sack to 60 -- the fourth-longest stretch in NFL history. Watt recorded four solo tackles, including two sacks, in Sunday's 36-10 win over the Bengals. He received an overall grade of 75.8 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 24th highest grade among all qualifying edge defenders. He ranks fourth overall amongst the NFL, and first for players in a four-year span. “Donald started all 16 games and had 45 total tackles (27 solo), 14 tackles for loss, a team-leading 13.5 sacks for minus-86 yards, 26 quarterback hits, … [22][23][24], He entered training camp competing with James Harrison for the starting right outside linebacker position. Over the past two seasons, Dupree has compiled 99 total tackles and 19.5 sacks. In Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, Watt recorded his first 2.5 sacks of the season on Jeff Driskel during the 26–21 win. J.J. Watt: Pos: DE, Career: 128 G, 6 TD, 5xAll-Pro(1st), 5xProBowl, Texans 2011-2020, 2x Sk Leader, born WI 1989 Watt has now racked up three sacks over the last two weeks, leaving him with 15 heading into the final week of the season. [8] On November 29, 2016, Watt was named First Team All-Big Ten. Watt recorded seven tackles (three solo), including two sacks, in Wednesday's 19-14 win over the Ravens. [6] Additionally, he recorded an interception and a defensive touchdown during the Badgers' game against Purdue. That’s more passes defensed than the man the Packers selected to defend passes, cornerback Kevin King. Watt also is 2nd in sacks (76.0) & 1st in passes defensed by a defensive lineman (47) #Dominant pic.twitter.com/vAzMUkyop2 [21], On June 14, 2017, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Watt to a fully guaranteed, four-year, $9.25 million contract with a signing bonus of $4.87 million. Watt had five tackles (four solo) including a half sack in Sunday's 28-10 loss to the Ravens. Watt (knee) was a non-participant during Thursday's practice session, Joe Rutter of Trib Live Sports reports. The reigning All-Pro pass rusher has established himself as an early contender for Defensive Player of the Year honors, with 3.5 sacks and five tackles for loss in Pittsburgh's three games. He was voted Team MVP by his teammates, being the first defensive player to win the award since Troy Polamalu in 2010. Three of his five tackles against the Titans were behind the line, and he also deflected one pass as the Steelers remained undefeated. PITTSBURGH — While the Steelers defense joined NFL history with its streak of consecutive games with a sack a couple weeks ago, linebacker TJ Watt’s sack of Philip Rivers early in the first quarter of his team’s game against the Colts gave him an historic achievement all to himself. Watt finished the regular season with 53 tackles (43 solo), including 15 sacks, along with two forced fumbles, one interception and seven pass defenses. The split sack came in the first quarter, making Watt the first player in franchise history with multiple 13-sack seasons. The Pittsburgh Steelers defense isn't likely to eclipse its 38 turnovers from 2019, but they're doing a stellar job so far. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. Steelers' T.J. Watt: Leads league in sacks, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Records two sacks in Week 16, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Maintains league lead in sacks, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Totals two sacks Wednesday, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Racks up two sacks in win, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Records another sack Sunday, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Limited to begin week, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Sits out Thursday's practice, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Records another sack, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Second among active sack leaders, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Fourth career interception, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Gets option exercised, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Partial sack in finale, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Records sack-fumble in loss, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Continues to dominate on D, Steelers' T.J. Watt: Makes franchise history. In 2021, Watt will earn a base salary of $10,089,000, while carrying a cap hit of $10,089,000 and a dead cap value of $10,089,000. No longer could he be just a great young player. Watt notched a strip-sack in consecutive games when he got to Sam Darnold with just 36 seconds remaining in the first half. [29] On October 22, 2017, Watt made six combined tackles and made his fourth sack of the season on Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback Andy Dalton during the Steelers' 29–14 victory. [39] Watt maintained his team lead in sacks Sunday by bringing down the quarterback twice in the Week 10 win. Watt will look to add to his nice total when he faces Deshaun Watson of the Texans for the first time in Week 3. Watt logged five tackles (two solo) and a sack while forcing and recovering a fumble in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Jets. Latest on Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN In Week 16 against the Indianapolis Colts, Watt recorded two sacks on Philip Rivers, including a strip sack that was recovered by teammate Mike Hilton, during the 28–24 win. J.J. is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and five-time Pro Bowl defensive end who currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals, and was selected in the first round with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He is a must-start in IDP fantasy formats against Denver in Week 2. On October 1, 2020, Watt was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for his performance in September. J." [1], Watt started his collegiate career as a tight end recruit for the Wisconsin Badgers. or second round pick . [57] Derek is a fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was selected in the sixth round with the 198th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. [45] On April 28, 2020, the Steelers exercised the fifth-year option on Watt's contract. Watt has enjoyed another solid season and is a must-start in IDP formats heading into a Week 16 game against the Jets. [2] Watt's knee was injured in the 2014 season and he was in the recovery process until the middle of the 2015 season. Now back to full participation look for the Wisconsin product to assume his usual starting role versus the Browns in Week 6. [32], The Pittsburgh Steelers finished atop the AFC North with a 13-3 record and earned a playoff berth. [51] Watt recorded 14.5 sacks, 59 pressures, and 36 quarterback hits, and 8 forced fumbles in 2019. With 3.5 sacks thus far, Watt is on pace for a career-best 19 sacks this season. Third in the league with 14 sacks, Watt has at least part of a sack in all but three games this season. 93 on NFL Network's Top 100 list", "Wilson, Seahawks edge Steelers 28-26 as Roethlisberger exits", "Sloppy 49ers beat Steelers 24-20 on late Garoppolo TD pass", "Steelers overcome slow start, drop winless Dolphins 27-14", "Steelers hang on for 23-17 victory over Cardinals", "Steelers' T.J. Watt comes up short in NFL defensive player of year voting", "Derek Watt Reportedly Agrees to Contract with Steelers; Joins Brother T.J.", "Team exercises Watt's fifth-year option", "Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants - September 14th, 2020", "Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers - September 20th, 2020", "Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, Bills QB Josh Allen among Players of the Week", "Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, Bills QB Josh Allen among NFL Players of the Month", "Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers - October 11th, 2020", "Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens - November 1st, 2020", "Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers - November 15th, 2020", "Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 2nd, 2020", "Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Vikings RB Dalvin Cook lead Players of the Month", "Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 27th, 2020", "How T.J. Watt Transitioned From Tight End to a Top NFL Linebacker Prospect", "Wisconsin Badgers football: T.J. Watt bio", "From rummy to eating to being the best uncle, Watt brothers always competing", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=T._J._Watt&oldid=1017475402, Sportspeople from the Milwaukee metropolitan area, Players of American football from Wisconsin, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pittsburgh Steelers currentteam parameter articles, Infobox NFL biography articles missing alt text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 12 April 2021, at 23:49. , but as evidenced by this news, that may have just been a measure... A game-tying touchdown with four seconds remaining in the final minute of the team official. Experts and analysts projected Watt to be a late first round of the award. 58 ], he has zero help on the NFL in sacks Sunday by bringing down quarterback. Him his second AFC Defensive Player to win the award since Troy Polamalu in 2010 tackles for loss, 11.5! 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