Jump to content

T. J. Watt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 68.197.193.85 (talk) at 18:14, 21 January 2021. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

T. J. Watt
refer to caption
Watt with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019
No. 90 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:Outside linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1994-10-11) October 11, 1994 (age 30)
Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:252 lb (114 kg)
Career information
High school:Pewaukee
(Pewaukee, Wisconsin)
College:Wisconsin
NFL draft:2017 / round: 1 / pick: 30
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Total tackles:230
Sacks:49.5
Pass deflections:25
Forced fumbles:17
Fumble recoveries:4
Interceptions:4
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Trent Jordan "T. J." Watt (born October 11, 1994) is an American football outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) He played college football at the University of Wisconsin, and was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. His older brothers are J. J. Watt of the Houston Texans and Derek Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

College career

Coming out of Pewaukee High School, Watt was rated as a three-star recruit by various recruiting services.[1]

Watt started his collegiate career as a tight end recruit for the Wisconsin Badgers.[2] Watt's knee was injured in the 2014 season and he was in the recovery process until the middle of the 2015 season.[3] He did not play a game from October 2012 to September 2015.[4]

In July 2015, Watt was asked by head coach Paul Chryst to switch to a defensive position as a redshirt sophomore.[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. You're trying to teach him for the first time how to play outside 'backer in our system."[5] After the fourth game of his junior season, he led the Big Ten conference in sacks.[2] In the Michigan State game, he was named the Big Ten Player of the Week and was given the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week Award.[2]

During the 2016 season, Watt recorded 59 total tackles and 11.5 sacks.[6] Additionally, he recorded an interception and a defensive touchdown during the Badgers' game against Purdue.[7] Watt also received first team All-American honors by Sports Illustrated and second team honors by The Associated Press for his play during the 2016 season.[8] On November 29, 2016, Watt was named First Team All-Big Ten.[9] On January 3, 2017, Watt announced on Twitter that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2017 NFL Draft.[10]

Statistics

Wisconsin Badgers
Year Team GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Comb Total Ast Sack Int Yards Avg TD PD FF FR
2015 Wisconsin 8 7 3 4 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 2 0 0
2016 Wisconsin 14 63 38 25 11.5 1 17 17.0 1 4 2 1
Career 22 70 41 29 11.5 1 17 17.0 1 6 2 1

Professional career

Watt received an invitation to the NFL Combine as one of the top edge rushers in the draft and completed all the combine drills. Among linebackers, Watt finished second in the vertical jump and three-cone drill, tied for first in the broad jump (with Jabrill Peppers), and also tied for first in the short shuttle.[11] He attended Wisconsin's pro day, along with Dare Ogunbowale, Vince Biegel, Corey Clement, Sojourn Shelton, and six other teammates.[12] Green Bay Packers' General Manager Ted Thompson and Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin were among the 65 team representatives and scouts present for his pro day as Pittsburgh Steelers' linebacker's coach Joey Porter, Carolina Panthers' and New York Jets' outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene led Watt's positional drills. The majority of NFL draft experts and analysts projected Watt to be a late first round or second round pick . He was ranked the second best outside linebacker in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, ranked the fourth best outside linebacker by NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, and was ranked the ninth best edge rusher by Sports Illustrated.[13][14] ESPN also ranked Watt the 44th best prospect available in the draft.[15]

External videos
video icon T.J. Watt’s NFL Combine Workout
video icon T.J. Watt runs the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4+1⁄2 in
(1.94 m) 		252 lb
(114 kg) 		33+1⁄8 in
(0.84 m) 		11 in
(0.28 m)		 4.69 s 1.59 s 2.71 s 4.13 s 6.79 s 37 in
(0.94 m)		 10 ft 8 in
(3.25 m)		 21 reps
All values from NFL Combine[16][17]

2017

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Watt in the first round with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.[18] Watt was the fourth linebacker selected and the second outside linebacker.[19] He was also the fourth linebacker taken in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2013.[20]

External videos
video icon Steelers draft T.J. Watt 30th overall
video icon NFL Draft Profile: T.J. Watt

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. The trade with the San Francisco 49ers netted the Packers the 33rd pick (Kevin King) and the 103rd pick (Vince Biegel).[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.[22][23][24]

He entered training camp competing with James Harrison for the starting right outside linebacker position. Watt was named the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting right outside linebacker to begin the regular season.[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.[26]

External videos
video icon T.J. Watt Week 1 Highlights
video icon Top 10 T.J. Watt plays of 2017
video icon T.J. Watt puts game in ice with last second strip sack

Watt made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Pittsburgh Steelers' season-opener against the Cleveland Browns on September 10, 2017, where he recorded seven combined tackles, two sacks, and one interception, which came off of quarterback DeShone Kizer, as the Steelers won by a score of 21–18. He recorded his first career sack, tackle, and interception during the game and returned the interception for 17-yards.[27] He became the first rookie to start at linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers since Aaron Jones in 1988.[28] The following week, he assisted on two tackles before leaving during the first half of the Steelers' 26–9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings with a groin injury. He was declared out for Week 3 against the Chicago Bears.[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.[30] He tied Bud Dupree (2014) and LaMarr Woodley (2007) for the franchise record for most sacks by a rookie with his fourth.[31] Watt finished his rookie season with 54 combined tackles (40 solo), seven pass deflections, seven sacks, and an interception in 15 games and 15 starts.[32]

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished atop the AFC North with a 13-3 record and earned a playoff berth. On January 14, 2018, Watt started his first career playoff game and recorded two combined tackles and deflected a pass in the 45-42 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Divisional Round.[33]

2018

Watt entered training camp slated as a starting outside linebacker. Head coach Mike Tomlin named Watt and Bud Dupree the starting outside linebackers to begin the season, alongside inside linebackers Vince Williams and Jon Bostic.[34]

External videos
video icon T.J. watt strip sacks Ryan and Fort recovers for TD
video icon Top 5 T.J. Watt plays vs. Browns in Week 1

Watt started in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season-opener at the Cleveland Browns and recorded a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo), three sacks, and blocked a potential game-winning field goal during overtime in a 21-21 tie. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.[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. His performance earned him his second AFC Defensive Player of the Week award of the year.[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.[32] 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.[37] After the season, Watt was ranked #93 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.[38]

2019

Watt alongside Calais Campbell and Jurrell Casey at the 2020 Pro Bowl

In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Watt recorded six tackles and made his first sack of the season on Russell Wilson in the 26–28 loss.[39] In Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers, Watt recorded his first interception of the season off Jimmy Garoppolo in the 24–20 loss.[40] 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.[41] For his performance in November, Watt earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month. 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.[42]

By the end of his third season, Watt had established himself as one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL, tallying an AFC-high 14.5 sacks and a league-high eight forced fumbles. He was voted Team MVP by his teammates, being the first defensive player to win the award since Troy Polamalu in 2010. Watt was voted All-Pro as both edge rusher (1st Team) and linebacker (2nd Team). He was also nominated for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, finishing third in voting.[43] Following the season, Watt was ranked 25th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.[44]

2020

On March 17, 2020, the Steelers signed Watt’s older brother Derek, putting the two brothers on the same team.[45] On April 28, 2020, the Steelers exercised the fifth-year option on Watt's contract.[46]

In Week 1 against the New York Giants, Watt recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by Daniel Jones during the 26–16 win.[47] 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.[48] He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 2.[49] On October 1, 2020, Watt was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for his performance in September.[50] In Week 5, Watt's 26th birthday, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he recorded one sack on Carson Wentz during the 38–29 win.[51] 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.[52] In Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Watt recorded two sacks on rookie quarterback Joe Burrow during the 36–10 win.[53] In Week 12 against the Baltimore Ravens, Watt recorded two sacks on Robert Griffin III during the 19–14 win.[54] Watt was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for his performance in November.[55] 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.[56]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high
NFL career statistics
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sack TFL QBHits Int Yards Avg TD PD FF FR Yds TD
2017 PIT 15 15 54 40 14 7.0 10 13 1 17 17.0 0 7 1 0 0 0
2018 PIT 16 16 68 50 18 13.0 12 21 0 0 0.0 0 3 6 0 0 0
2019 PIT 16 16 55 35 20 14.5 14 36 2 7 3.5 0 8 8 4 0 0
2020 PIT 15 15 53 43 10 15.0 23 41 1 0 0.0 0 7 2 0 0 0
Career 62 62 230 168 62 49.5 59 111 4 24 6.0 0 25 17 4 0 0

Personal life

Born the youngest of three boys, Watt was raised by his parents, Connie and John Watt, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. His father was a firefighter for 25 years and his mother is the vice president of an independent inspections company. His two older brothers, J.J. and Derek, both played at Wisconsin and are both currently playing in the NFL.[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. J.J. is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and five-time Pro Bowl defensive end for the Houston Texans and was selected in the first round with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. T.J. was teammates with Derek at Wisconsin from 2012-2015. Also during his time at Wisconsin, Watt majored in retailing and consumer behavior.[58]

References

  1. ^ Baby, Ben (December 31, 2016). "Wisconsin LB T.J. Watt is stepping out from brother J.J.'s shadow to lead Wisconsin at Cotton Bowl". SportsDay. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Galloway, Jason (September 27, 2016). "Badgers football: T.J. Watt becoming star for UW just a year after position change". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  3. ^ Kaplan, Emily (October 12, 2016). "Wisconsin's Watt the Third". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  4. ^ NFL Network (April 5, 2017), Pass Rushers: Game Changers Ep. 2 | Watt, Allen, Harris, & Thomas | 2017 NFL Draft | NFL Network, retrieved April 11, 2017
  5. ^ Temple, Jesse (September 29, 2016). "SC on the Road: T.J. Watt carrying on a family tradition at Wisconsin". ESPN. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  6. ^ Hunt, Tyler (December 20, 2016). "Wisconsin Football: Is TJ Watt Headed to the NFL Draft?". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  7. ^ Bahr, Chris (December 9, 2016). "Watch Wisconsin's T.J. Watt showcase his athleticism on an incredible pick-6". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  8. ^ Potrykus, Jeff (January 3, 2017). "Badgers linebacker T.J. Watt leaving early for NFL". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  9. ^ "2016 Big Ten Individual Award Winners" (PDF). www.grfx.cstv.com. Big Ten Conference. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  10. ^ "T.J. Watt, J.J.'s brother, intends to enter 2017 NFL Draft". www.nfl.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  11. ^ Lisk, Jason. "T.J. Watt Made a Lot of Money at the Combine, Put Up Outstanding Numbers". thebiglead.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  12. ^ Owen Riese (March 15, 2017). "Former Wisconsin Badgers work out for scouts at pro day". buckys5thquarter.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  13. ^ "*T.J. Watt, DS #2 OLB, Wisconsin". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  14. ^ Brooks, Bucky (April 25, 2017). "Bucky Brooks' top 5 2017 NFL Draft prospects by position 3.0". NFL.com. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  15. ^ Legwold, Jeff. "Ranking 2017 draft's Top 100 Players". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  16. ^ Galloway, Jason (March 6, 2017). "2017 NFL Combine results for former Wisconsin Badgers". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  17. ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - T.J. Watt". Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  18. ^ Orr, Conor (April 28, 2017). "Steelers draft T.J. Watt". NFL.com. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  19. ^ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  20. ^ "PIT, LB selected in NFL Draft, Round 1, since 2013". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  21. ^ "Dougherty: Verdict in on Packers' decision to pass on T.J. Watt and draft Kevin King".
  22. ^ "Sportrac.com: T.J. Watt contract". sportrac.com. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  23. ^ Varley, Teresa (June 14, 2017). "Steelers sign No. 1 draft pick". Steelers.com. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  24. ^ Daniels, Tim (June 14, 2017). "T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers Agree to Rookie Contract". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  25. ^ "Ourlads.com: Pittsburgh Steelers depth chart: 08/01/2017". ourlads.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  26. ^ Patra, Kevin (August 12, 2017). "T.J. Watt has 2 sacks in first preseason game". NFL.com. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  27. ^ Sessler, Marc (September 10, 2017). "Steeler's extend Brown's losing streak on opening day". NFL.com. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  28. ^ "Watt's Up: Steelers rookie T.J. Watt jumps into starting gig". usatoday.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ^ Goldberg, Rob (September 22, 2017). "T.J. Watt out vs. Bears with Groin Injury". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  30. ^ "NFL Player stats: T.J. Watt (2017)". NFL.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  31. ^ DeArdo, Bryan (October 23, 2017). "T.J. Watt chasing Steelers' rookie record for sacks". 247sports.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  32. ^ a b "NFL Player stats: T.J. Watt (career)". NFL.com. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  33. ^ "Divisional Round - Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 14th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  34. ^ Chester, Simon (September 23, 2018). "Steelers publish their first depth chart of the 2018 season". Behind the Steel Curtain. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  35. ^ Teope, Herbie (September 12, 2018). "Mahomes, Fitzpatrick among Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  36. ^ Maya, Adam (October 10, 2018). "Drew Brees, Isaiah Crowell among Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  37. ^ "Pro Football Focus: TJ Watt". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  38. ^ "T.J. Watt No. 93 on NFL Network's Top 100 list". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  39. ^ "Wilson, Seahawks edge Steelers 28-26 as Roethlisberger exits". www.espn.com. Associated Press. September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  40. ^ "Sloppy 49ers beat Steelers 24-20 on late Garoppolo TD pass". www.espn.com. Associated Press. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  41. ^ "Steelers overcome slow start, drop winless Dolphins 27-14". www.espn.com. Associated Press. October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  42. ^ "Steelers hang on for 23-17 victory over Cardinals". www.espn.com. Associated Press. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  43. ^ Joe Rutter (February 1, 2020). "Steelers' T.J. Watt comes up short in NFL defensive player of year voting".
  44. ^ Berger, Cale (July 29, 2020). "T.J. Watt Listed at 25 on NFL Top 100". Steelers Now. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  45. ^ "Derek Watt Reportedly Agrees to Contract with Steelers; Joins Brother T.J." Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  46. ^ Varley, Teresa (April 28, 2020). "Team exercises Watt's fifth-year option". Steelers.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  47. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants - September 14th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  48. ^ "Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers - September 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  49. ^ Gordon, Grant (September 23, 2020). "Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, Bills QB Josh Allen among Players of the Week". www.nfl.com. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  50. ^ Gordon, Grant (October 1, 2020). "Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, Bills QB Josh Allen among NFL Players of the Month". www.nfl.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  51. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers - October 11th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  52. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens - November 1st, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  53. ^ "Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers - November 15th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  54. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 2nd, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  55. ^ Gordon, Grant (December 4, 2020). "Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Vikings RB Dalvin Cook lead Players of the Month". www.nfl.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  56. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  57. ^ Haley, Andy (April 28, 2017). "How T.J. Watt Transitioned From Tight End to a Top NFL Linebacker Prospect". stack.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  58. ^ "Wisconsin Badgers football: T.J. Watt bio". uwbadgers.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=T._J._Watt&oldid=1001855070"