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Linebacker T.J. Watt continues to receive accolades after being selected to The Sporting News NFL All-Pro team.
The 32 head coaches of the NFL choose the Sporting News team, which makes it unique among honors.
Prior to the 2023 Steelers-Texans game, Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans stated of T.J., “You can’t think of another guy that impacts the game more.” He is arguably the league’s most significant defensive player at the moment.
The defensive gameplan is completely altered when one player is able to pressure and disrupt the quarterback. You have a player like T.J. Watt, so you don’t need to blitz as much. When someone like (Alex) Highsmith lends support to T.J. Watt, it’s
almost unjust. T.J. is very remarkable.
Watt has previously chosen as the 101 Awards AFC Defensive Player of the Year for 2023, marking his third career victory in this category. He is a finalist for the Associate Press Defensive Player of the Year. He was the previous winner in 2020 and 2021.
For the fourth time in his career, Watt was selected to the First Team Associated Press All-Pro and was included in the Pro Football Writers of America All-NFL and All-AFC teams.
“You could argue he is the best defensive player in the world, and when you watch the tape, you wouldn’t get a rebuttal from me,” Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon stated in 2023. “Exactly what he does
impacting the quarterback and the ball both in the run and pass games. He knows his ball pretty well. He is a man of great takeaway.
“He intercepts when they dump him. He plays with a really strong motor and is everywhere on the field.”
With 19, the second-highest total of his career, Watt led the NFL in sacks in 2023. This is the third time he has held the title, having previously done so in 2020 and 2021. The only person to have led the NFL in sacks three times is him. With at least 17 sacks in two of his first seven seasons, Watt also became the seventh player since 1982 to accomplish this feat.
Watt was previously chosen to play in the Pro Bowl.
For the sixth time in his career, he was elected the Steelers 2023 MVP—his fourth career MVP award—despite being unable to participate due to an end-of-season injury.
When Watt recorded his 81.5 career sack against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 of the 2023 season, he eclipsed the record set by James Harrison and shattered the Steelers’ all-time sack record.
With 96.5 career sacks, which is third most by any player in NFL history during their first seven seasons in the league, Watt presently holds the record for the Steelers.