T.J. Watt will enter his eighth season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. He’s made the Pro Bowl every year but his first, won Defensive Player of the Year in 2021, and has the most sacks of any Steeler in team history.
He has solidified his place as one of the best defensive players in today’s NFL, and if Watt were to retire today, he is likely a Hall of Famer. His play in 2024 and onward will determine if he becomes an NFL legend.
As interesting, at least for Steelers fans, is where T.J. Watt will stand compared to the greatest Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive players in franchise history when he is done. This upcoming season could elevate him to the next level with names like Lambert, Greene, and Polamalu.
Another Pro Bowl, an All-Pro team, and a pedestrian (by his standards) 15 sacks, will give Watt seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro nominations in eight seasons, and push his sack total to 111.5.
With the acquisition of quarterback Russell Wilson and some of the other roster moves the Steelers have made in the offseason, Watt even has a realistic shot at a Super Bowl for the first time in his career.
Here’s how he’ll compare against five Steeler Hall of Famers with a convincing performance in 2024.
T.J. Watt Compared to the All-Time Best Steelers Defensive Players
Rod Woodson (1987-1996)
With a strong 2024, it is reasonable to put T.J. Watt on par with a player of Woodson’s caliber. Early on, their careers took similar paths. Like Watt, Woodson was a legitimate superstar when the Pittsburgh Steelers needed one.
As a Steeler, Woodson earned seven Pro Bowls, five All-Pro teams, and a Defensive Player of the Year award in 1993. He ranks third in NFL history for career interceptions with 71 and holds the records for fumble recoveries and interceptions returned for touchdowns.
Jack Ham (1971-1982)
Ham is one of the best outside linebackers in NFL history, but he played in a 4-3 system, so comparisons with Watt are tough from a performance standpoint. He also played most of his career before the NFL officially kept stats for sacks.
While it might seem blasphemous to many Steelers fans, Watt’s career accolades are a bit stronger than Hams. Of course, Jack Ham has four Super Bowl rings, something T.J. Watt is still working on.
Troy Polamalu (2003-2014)
It is hard to imagine the Pittsburgh Steelers winning two Super Bowls in the early 2000s without Troy Polamalu. His position was strong safety, but he could line up anywhere, and after the snap, he seemed to be everywhere.
Polamalu made eight Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams and earned Defensive Player of the Year in 2010. Again, comparable to T.J. Watt’s resume so far. The tough question is, how much do Super Bowl wins matter when comparing players of different eras?
Jack Lambert (1974-1984)
This is the point where any sane-minded football fan puts on the breaks. One could make a strong case that T.J. Watt is in the same league as Woodson, Ham, and Polamalu, but Jack Lambert was something different.
