When we talk about value in the NFL, it is easy to point at quarterback as the one player no team can win without. But if we remove the quarterback from the equation, how do you sort out who is a team’s MVP?
This was the task of the writers at The Athletic as they had to name every team’s non-quarterback MVP. Luckily for Pittsburgh Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly, he didn’t have to think much about figuring out that edge defender T.J. Watt is far and away the team’s most valuable player, quarterback or not.
How can’t it be Watt? He’s averaging just a tad under a sack per game in his career and had seasons of 22 1/2 and 19 1/2 sacks in two of his last three seasons. He will reach 100 career sacks early in the season and has yet to turn 30. Watt should benefit from a defense that got better in the offseason with the acquisition of Patrick Queen in the middle to go along with a healthy Minkah Fitzpatrick, who would be a close second in terms of MVP. In terms of Watt, he was named team MVP in four of the past five years. The only time he didn’t was when he missed half the season with a torn pectoral.
Watt is the most impactful defensive player the Steelers have had since Troy Polamalu. The entire defense rallies around Watt and leans on him so heavily. You can just look at how the rest of the Steelers defense fell apart when Watt went out with a torn pectoral.
