On Thursday, the NFL announced finalists for all of the major end-of-the-year awards. The Pittsburgh Steelers were shut out of all the awards except for Defensive Player of the Year where outside linebacker T.J. Watt hangs on to an outside chance.
Here is the full list of finalists per the NFL:
CB Patrick Surtain II – Denver Broncos
EDGE Trey Hendrickson – Cincinnati Bengals
EDGE Myles Garrett – Cleveland Browns
EDGE T.J. Watt – Pittsburgh Steelers
LB Zach Baun – Philadelphia Eagles
Five very talented football players who meant very different things to their respective teams. While we appreciate Watt making the cut for the finalists, it would be a massive upset if he actually won the award this year. Watt’s season has been a series of ups and downs in line with the rest of the Steelers defense. Watt finished the season with 11.5 sacks, his worst total since he was a rookie if you didn’t account for 2022 when he missed must of the year win injury.
The finalists for AP Defensive Player of the Year presented by @TCL_USA! #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/LCaNESupFR
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2025
