Two seasons ago, Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt tied the single-season record for sacks and won his first Defensive Player of the Year. 2022 marked a significant down year for Watt as a partially torn pectoral cost him seven games. But according to NFL fans, Watt is poised for a big-time bounceback in 2023.
Fox Sports NFL shared the results of a fan poll they did and according to their voters, Watt will return to form and be the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Buy Steelers TicketsWatt heads into the season with 77.5 career sacks which is good for third-best in Steelers franchise history. His teammate Cam Heyward is currently No. 2 and will be battling it out all season for the top spot.
Your projected 2023 Defensive Player of the Year is @steelers LB @_TJWatt, as voted on by NFL on FOX fans! 👏 pic.twitter.com/I3WykFLV9s
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 1, 2023
Pittsburgh has put in a ton of work in the offseason to add playmakers to the defense. You might think this would be a threat to Watt’s numbers but in reality it will just serve to help Watt with better matchups and increase his opportunities.
