The Pittsburgh Steelers have had plenty of all-time great linebackers don the Black and Gold, especially outside linebackers. Jack Ham, Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd and James Harrison, a teammate of former Steelers DL Casey Hampton, are among the best. Hampton, however, believes T.J. Watt will retire as the best linebacker in team history. He offered praise for Watt during an appearance on Texas Sports Unfiltered earlier this week.
“He’s different, man,” Hampton said. “T.J.’s stayed in one spot and works that one spot, and you know where he’s at and you still can’t stop him. That’s why people talk, this and that man, that dude’s in one spot, you know where he’s at, and you still can’t stop him. That’s what makes him different for me. And when he tackles the quarterback, it ain’t just the quarterback, he gets the ball. He’s the most ball-hawking guy in the league, he gets the quarterback, he gets that ball out…they gonna pay him, take care of him, and he gonna finish as probably the best to ever do it at linebacker in Pittsburgh when he’s done.”
Watt’s already the team’s all-time sack leader with 108 and counting. Since entering the league in 2017, Watt leads the NFL with 33 forced fumbles. As Hampton said, he’s one of the best in the game when it comes to seeking out the ball and knocking it out. His penchant for forcing turnovers has been a huge part of Pittsburgh’s success over the past few seasons.
It’s interesting that Hampton praised Watt for being so successful without moving around. It’s undoubtedly impressive that Watt has put up the numbers he has while barely moving around, but it’s something that will seemingly become more of a focus for him and Alex Highsmith going forward.
Watt said at the end of last season he needs to be open to moving around and Highsmith echoed some of those comments during offseason workouts. Watt struggled down the stretch last season, and while he was playing through pain, it wasn’t the production he or the Steelers expect out of him. Being more flexible and lining up in multiple spots could keep him fresh and give him new matchups to keep opposing offensive linemen on their toes.
The big question surrounding Watt right now is when he and the team will agree to terms on a new contract. Watt skipped mandatory minicamp amid the contract dispute, and with training camp less than a month away, it’ll be interesting to see if the two sides can get something done ahead of time. Hampton is confident that the two sides will ultimately agree on a new deal. If T.J. Watt stays in the Black and Gold, he’ll go down as an all-time great.
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