Back in 2017, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Wisconsin outside linebacker T.J. Watt with the No. 30 overall pick. Now, as Watt heads into his seventh season, let’s take a look at some of the craziest stats from Watt’s career so far.
77.5 sacks in just 87 games
To put this number into perspective, Steelers career sack leader James Harrison has 80.5 career sacks and it took him 177 games to get there. Cam Heyward, who is No. 2 with 78.5 career sacks and it took him 183 games to get there. The efficiency with which Watt rushes the passer is unprecedented in the NFL.
88 tackles for loss
Watt has twice led the NFL in tackles for loss and currently has more tackles for loss than games played. Watt spends more time on the other side of the line of scrimmage than the offense and once he gets going he can rack up the numbers.
How great can he be?
We’ve seen Watt win one Defensive Player of the Year and he probably should have won at least one more. But in terms of rushing the passer, just how good can Watt be? He will probably never approach the 200 career sacks of Bruce Smith but We are eyeing those 160 career sacks of former Steeler Kevin Greene in third place all time.
