Watt has led the NFL in sacks twice (20.5 in 2012, 17.5 in 2015), both of which were seasons he was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. He has been awarded this distinction a third time, in the 2014 season. As a three-time winner of the award, he’s in truly elite company. The only other players in league history to have done this are Lawrence Taylor and Aaron Donald. What’s more, the only players to have won the award twice are Joe Greene, Ray Lewis, Mike Singletary, Reggie White, and all-time sack leader Bruce Smith.

Smith, White, Greene, and Donald are among the greatest defensive linemen in NFL history. So, too, is Watt.

Number of Seasons with 10+ sacks:

• Smith – 13
• White – 12
• Greene – 1
• Donald – 6
• Watt – 5

Number of Seasons with 20+ sacks:

• Smith – 0
• White – 1
• Greene – 0
• Donald – 1
• Watt – 2

Even more impressively, Watt is the only player in league history to officially record at least 20 sacks in more than one season. The great Deacon Jones, of course, accomplished this as well, three times as a matter of fact, although “unofficially.” This leaves Watt’s credentials for the Hall of Fame nearly impossible to deny. But his abilities as a sack master are equaled by his abilities in running down other plays behind the line of scrimmage.

In each of his Defensive Player of the Year seasons, Watt has led the NFL in tackles for loss (39 in 2012, 29 in 2014 and 2015). Tackles for loss has only officially been a league statistic since 1999, but since that time there is only one player who has recorded more than Watt: Terrell Suggs. Among active players, he’s number one, notably ahead of Calais Campbell, who has played longer, and Von Miller.

Watt’s prominence in all factors of the game easily places him among the greatest defensive players in the history of the NFL. The only question remaining about his place in the Hall of Fame is when exactly it will come. 2022 has arguably been his best individual season since 2018, so it isn’t inconceivable that he puts together a couple of more solid seasons in his career before either retiring or being relegated to a lesser role. But he’s a Hall of Famer without question.

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By: Jake Rajala

The mythical defender, J.J. Watt, still has a ton of gas left in the tank. Watt had a potent 79.9 grade by PFF in seven contests last season. In 2020, he also was unusually productive — as PFF handed him an 85.4 grade. Despite having six sacks over the prior two seasons combined, he has certainly been hard to block.

With that stated, Watt is set to be a free agent in the 2023 off-season. Hence, I’m going to untwine a few potential landing spots for the gifted athlete & special human being.

• New Orleans Saints

I’d absolutely love to see the New Orleans Saints ink Watt. They have been very aggressive to acquire talent on their defense in recent memory, but they are missing an elite piece at a crucial spot: an interior pass rusher. The combination of Watt on the inside, Cameron Jordan on the outside, and Demario Davis at MLB would be quite scary for opposing offenses. The Saints DE Marcus Davenport will be a FA in 2023, so it may be creative for Mickey Loomis to let Davenport leave and sign the monster from the inside, J.J. Watt.

• Arizona Cardinals

It can be romantic to imagine Watt signing with a cream-of-the-crop NFC team, but it may make sense for him to stay in Arizona. The Cardinals have already moved on from Chandler Jones, so they may wish to do everything in their power to keep the elite DL in Watt onboard moving forward. Plus, the Cardinals want to win a Super Bowl with their QB (Kyler Murray) that received an unearhtly contract extension this past off-season. Hence, they may be willing to break the bank for their familiar pass rusher.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders targeted top-tier pass rushers in the 2022 off-season. I wouldn’t be shocked if two very well-rounded teams from the same division: New Orleans and Tampa Bay looked to add a big-time pass rusher next off-season — which could be a cherry on top for both teams. The Bucs signed Akiem Hicks on a one-year deal this prior summer. Perhaps Watt will look to link up on the imposing Buccaneers front seven (and potentially Tom Brady) in 2023?

• Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions may have the 22-year-old version of J.J. Watt in Aidan Hutchinson. It may be wise for the Lions to pair their rookie DL with the scary veteran DL for the Cardinals. The Lions had a superb off-season in 2021 and in 2022. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they add Watt or a profile with similar talent to their defense in 2023.

• Los Angeles Rams

Despite not having an abundance of cap space, the Los Angeles Rams find ways to attract superstars. The LA Rams have a Prometheus-like front seven with Aaron Donald & Bobby Wagner. I wouldn’t be surprised if Watt took less compensation to join AD, Wagner, and have an impressive chance to win a Super Bowl in the near future.

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By: Brock Wells

The Arizona Cardinals defense mightily struggled against the Kansas City Chiefs Week One in Glendale. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense had anything they wanted against the Cards defense. Mahomes threw for five touchdowns on the team’s way to a comfortable 44-21 win. But the bigger story than Mahomes’s success is how bad the Cardinals defense looked. After all, the Cardinals were a playoff team last year, though they skidded across the regular season finish line.

It’s worth pointing out that the Cardinals were without a couple of key pieces on their defense due to injury. J.J. Watt, who misses games far more often than he plays these days, was out once again, this time with a calf injury. It’s unclear if he’ll be ready for Week Two. Trayvon Mullen also didn’t play, nor did Antonio Hamilton, who suffered a freak burn accident just before the start of the season. That’s just the kind of offseason, training camp, and preseason the team had.

That said, the Cardinals’ defensive leaders, Zaven Collins, Isaiah Simmons, and Budda Baker are going to need to step up in Week Two if the team is going to be able to avoid starting 0-2. Particularly Simmons, who is expected to become a next-level player this season, and has taken over as defensive play-caller. In addition, the defensive front struggled to get any meaningful pressure on Mahomes, who was hit or hurried on very few occasions throughout the game.

Cardinals Defensive Stat Highlights:

• Zaven Collins: 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
• Marco Wilson: 5 tackles, 2 pass breakups, forced fumble
• Byron Murphy: 4 tackles, fumble recovery
• Dennis Gardeck: 2 tackles, QB hit, forced fumble

Cardinals defense coordinator Vance Joseph blitzed Mahomes and the Chiefs more often than any team has ever done. This is a strategy that didn’t pay off. It’s also worth noting that the Cardinals were one of several teams throughout preseason who chose to play very few starters. Certainly, a great deal of rust was present throughout the game. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that Mahomes exposed several holes inherent in this defense.

It all comes down to the simple fact that everything that could possibly have gone wrong for the Cardinals defense did. They were unprepared, sloppy, outmatched, and confused. It’s unlikely that the defense is as bad as they were in Week One and again in Week Two against the Las Vegas Raiders. Some of the rust of having not played much in the preseason should be starting to wear off for this team. But this defense has glaring issues, and they’re all over.

Watt’s return (if and when that is) will add a bit of depth to the defensive line for the Cardinals. But that alone isn’t going to be enough. If the team is serious about making another run to the playoffs this season, which they have enough talent to do certainly, the defensive players who are expected to step into star roles for the team are going to have to find a way to do so. They could find themselves in dangerous waters if the offense is expected to pick up all the defense’s slack.

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By: Jake Rajala

The NFC West showcases numerous future Hall of Fame pass rushers — such as the newly well-compensated Aaron Donald and the versatile, maniac J.J. Watt. With that said, I’m going to simply highlight the unearthly defensive DL in the NFC West and rank the top pass rushers in the wild NFC West.

Aaron Donald

There isn’t any debate that AD is the top pass rusher in his division. The Rams DT has been named first-team All-Pro in each of the past seven seasons. He has also only missed two games in the past six seasons. He led his team in sacks (12.5) and QB hits (25) in 2021. He has been the highest-graded defender by PFF for six straight seasons — as PFF gave him a 93.6 grade in 2021. The highest-paid non-QB in NFL history flexed his ability in Super Bowl LVI with two sacks and a pivotal pressure against Joe Burrow on the Bengals last offensive play.

Markus Golden

Markus Golden has been quite productive for the Cardinals and he also has been able to stay healthy (contrary to Watt) — as he’s missed one game in the past three seasons. Golden ousted 11 sacks (.5 sack more than Chandler Jones), 19 QB hits, 10 TFLs, and four forced fumbles last season. The former Cardinal has been a Pro Bowl snub and he expressed that he should continue to excel in the Cards pass-rushing unit without Jones. Per NFL.com, Golden stated, “I respect him and learned a lot from Chandler. I can seriously he helped me become the player I am today. But whether I am playing with Chandler or anybody else, I feel like I’m a No. 1 pass rusher. You’ve got to have that mindset”.

J.J. Watt

The two-time DPOY winner J.J. Watt may not crack 10+ sacks in 2022, but he can still be a top-tier pass-rushing menace. Watt only played in seven games last season, but he still earned an impressive 79 grade by PFF. Arizona Sports 98.7 outlined how Watt led all pass rushers in QB hits and placed second in pressures after five games last season. Watt will definitely to have more sacks on his belt next season — as he chases his first Super Bowl ring with AZ and likely Kyler Murray.

Leonard Floyd

Leonard Floyd is the second edge rusher on this list that will look to amp up his sack total after losing an edge-rushing mate (as Von Miller went to Buffalo). Floyd had 9.5 sacks last season (after a 10.5 sack season in 2020). He also had 18 QB hits, 70 combined tackles, and 7 TFLs in 2021. He had a 70.4 grade by PFF. He might not be the sexiest run stopper, but he can certainly excel in pass-rushing situations. The former Bears first-round that signed a four-year contract worth $64 million dollars in the 2021 off-season will look to reach his first Pro Bowl in 2022.

Darrell Taylor

The Seahawks defensive end Darrell Taylor quietly had a stellar sophomore season — as he unleashed 6.5 sacks and 13 QB hits. Corbin K. Smith from All Seahawks outlined how he could be a double-digit sack player if he improves his ability to wrap up opposing quarterbacks. It’s safe to say that Taylor was raw in 2021 with his size and pass-rushing moves, so it should be said that the sky is the limit for Taylor. PFF ranked the Seahawks DL as the worst DL unit in the NFL, so it’s clear that Taylor will need to be the bright spot on the Hawks DL.

Shelby Harris

The Hawks may not have an elite edge rusher, but they have a strong balance between DE and DT pass-rushing prowess. The new Seahawk Shelby Harris is an athletic DT that can excel as a pass rusher and he showed that in 2021: 6 sacks and 11 QB hits. Harris is flat out one of the most underrated DTs in the NFL.

Greg Gaines

The Rams NT Greg Gaines had 4.5 sacks and 13 QB hits a season ago — after having 1.5 sacks and 3 QB hits in 2020. PFF awarded Gaines a modest 67.9 grade. AD expressed deep gratitude for Gaines, to say the least. Per PFF Bet, AD stated, “I don’t think there’s no nose tackle in the NFL that’s playing how he’s playing right now.” He Gaines will look to be a hulk-like figure against the run and pass in 2022 — as he strides for a hefty contract extension.

Uchenna Nwosu

The new Seahawks pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu could be the best-kept secret on the Hawks. After 4.5 sacks and 11 QB hits in 2020, Nwosu had 17 QB hits, 8 TFLs, and 5 sacks last season. Most importantly, he learned to utilize his impressive power as the 2021 season evolved (3 sacks in his past six games). He also made unique plays — as shown below.

The Seahawks chose not to bring back Carlos Dunlap (at least not yet), so it will be imperative that Nwosu has a career season across from Taylor in 2022.

Zach Allen

The Cardinals DL Zach Allen, also known as the son of Jared Allen, put together his best season in 2021 (4 sacks, 14 QB hits, and 1 interception) — after having two sacks and six QB hits in 2020. He also flashed his athleticism as he returned a fumble for a touchdown. He notably had two sacks against Trey Lance in last October’s match-up. Allen will really strive to shine in his contract season on the Jones-less defense.

A’Shawn Robinson

The former Lions DT A’Shawn Robinson is recognized as a mean run-stopper, but he is capable of hurting opposing QBs in the passing game. Besides Robinson recording 67 combined tackles and 2 FF in 2021, Robinson had a few sacks. PFF granted him a 72.5 grade in 2021. He is perhaps the Rams FA in 2023, so it’s clear that McVay will need to prioritize a new contract for the Rams DT.

The post Ranking the NFC West pass rushers right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Arizona Cardinals defensive line carries a healthy J.J. Watt, but they still have a couple of question marks at numerous spots entering the 2022 season. Pro Football Focus wasn’t excited about the Cardinals direction at DL – as they ranked their DL unit 27th in the league. It was clear that PFF wasn’t optimistic about the Cardinals replacements in Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders for Chandler Jones, who had 19 sacks in 2019 and 10.5 sacks in 2021.

Thomas is the third-round pick for the Cardinals tasked with being an impact player in his first season. Thomas has expressed how much he respects and imitates the magic from Watt. Per Arizona Sports 98.7, the rook stated, “I modeled a lot of my game after J.J. Watt, especially at San Diego State, how much versatility I had. J.J. was another guy that I was able to learn a lot of inside and outside and just dominate. I’m hoping to do the same”.

Watt may not be a sack machine (9 sacks from 2019 and 2020 combined) at this point in his career, but his presence and versatility have still been phenomenal. PFF labeled him as the 14th best IDL at this point — and he can certainly excel on the edge on occasion.

The Cardinals will also expect Rashard Lawrence and Zach Allen to be key pieces of their IDL. Lawrence missed six games last season and he will look to stay healthy for a strong junior season. Allen is coming off his best season (4 sacks, 14 QB hits, 5 TFLs, and 1 int). He will certainly stride to have his best season next to a healthy Watt. If the Cardinals DL can stay healthy, they can absolutely be a middle-of-the-pack DL unit at the very least.

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By: Chandler Hyler

Following a monstrous 2019 season for star pass rusher Chandler Jones, 2020 was disastrous. In a season that started slow for Jones, he was diagnosed with a season-ending biceps injury after week 5.

Needing to be mentioned, Jones amassed just 1 total sack to this point. That being said, pass rushers like Jones can get into a rhythm, much like any other athlete.

Prior to 2020, Jones showed no signs of slowing down. In what some may say has been an underappreciated career, he has totaled 97 sacks in just 9 seasons.

It’s an “odd” year in 2021; Jones seems to be more productive in odd seasons, for whatever reason. There isn’t actually a reason for this, so coincidentally, can Jones hop back on the train tracks?

Now, a teammate of Chandler Jones, JJ Watt is another candidate to be poised for a rejuvenating 2021. Between the star-studded duo of Jones & Watt, they have just under 200 sacks combined. Quarterbacks in the NFC West should be frightened.

JJ Watt is a physical freak, but has only toppled double-digit sacks once since 2016. His best recent season came in 2018 when he had 16 sacks. In the years prior 2018, Watt also had just 1.5 sacks combined in 2016 & 2017.

Watt was drafted 11th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft and has been a wrecking ball when on the field. Like the 2nd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft Von Miller, JJ Watt was one of the most feared defenders during the 2010’s.

Von Miller, who has undoubtedly been the face of the Denver Broncos franchise since Peyton Manning retired, faced a similar fate. Unfortunately for Miller, he never even seen the field in 2020.

In an offseason that reaped high praise for Miller was cut short, just before the beginning of the preseason. Anyone who was invested in this Denver Broncos team must have heard about how impressive Miller looked in camp.

It was noted that Miller did not take a vacation during the offseason leading up to the 2020 season. Determined to come back from multiple years of decreased production for the future Hall-of-Famer, Miller spent his summer improving his craft.

Having Von Miller on your defensive front is one thing, but having Von Miller with a chip on his shoulder is a different animal. With question marks now swarming his production, but also his availability is going to have Miller motivated again.

Miller is also an unrestricted free agent in 2022, everyone seems to perform better during a contract year. Whether it is coincidence or not, Miller has multiple reasons to bounce back in 2021.

With Jones, Miller, and Watt all coming back from disappointing seasons, I think they could all come out on fire. All being uber-talented, a little extra drive to prove they’re not meeting father time could be all the motivation they need.

If I had to point my finger at one of the previous decade’s top defenders to shine in 2021, it would be Von Miller. Like Jones and Watt, Miller will also have a Pro Bowler on the opposite side of him. Bradley Chubb just recently underwent a minor procedure but should be full go by the beginning of the season.

Miller seems hungrier than ever to prove doubters wrong with his age and declining sack numbers in a previous couple of years. It wouldn’t shock me to see Miller and Chubb combine for 30 sacks in 2021. After all, it is a contract year for Miller.

That alone should be enough motivation for Miller to get back to wreaking havoc on opposing signal-callers. While Chandler Jones & JJ Watt will benefit from being teammates in 2021, it is my prediction Miller will put his name in the conversation once again for Defensive Player of the Year Honors.

The post Which veteran pass rusher will have the best comeback season? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Will Baptist

J.J. Watt is one of the most dominant forces to ever rush the passer. His career is not over by any means, but if injuries did not slow him down in Houston, he could arguably be the best defender in NFL history. He is a 3x Defensive Player of the Year, 5x First-Team All-Pro, 2x NFL sacks leader and is sitting at 101 career sacks with plenty left in the tank.

His resume speaks for itself, while he continues to terrorize opposing quarterbacks at 32 years old. Matching that type of production is not an easy task, but his younger brother, T.J. Watt, may be up to the challenge. T.J. Watt is only 26 years old, and already has quite the resume. He is a 2x First-team All-Pro, 3x Pro Bowler and a 1x NFL sack leader. He is sitting at 49.5 sacks and is not slowing down anytime soon.

With that type of production, it is not out of the realm of possibility that T.J. Watt can match his brother’s resume, or even surpass it. He has a few factors that could propel him to do just that, while J.J. Watt’s career is somewhat dwindling down. Here are the three reasons why T.J. Watt can pass J.J. Watt’s career resume.

1. T.J. Watt Plays Outside Linebacker

Both Watt brothers have versatility and can play multiple positions on the defensive front. T.J. has the luxury of being faster and quicker than J.J. This allows him to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, which makes it more difficult to double him. Considering how far out he is lined up, the tackle is normally on an island, with tight ends and running backs having to help the tackle slow him down. J.J. is easier to double and triple team, which he still continuously beats on a consistent basis. Considering how quick T.J. is, he can wreak havoc on opposing tackles all game, and he is just entering his prime. J.J. has to deal with guards and centers doubling him as opposed to a tackle and a tight end, which bodes well for T.J. going forward.

2. T.J. Watt Plays for the Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the epitome of what a dominant defense looks like. From the defensive line to the secondary, they are a force to be reckoned with. They lost a lot of talented players in free agency, but the Steelers will continue to rebuild and not skip a beat. A major issue throughout J.J.’s tenure in Houston was that he did not have the help that T.J. has in Pittsburgh. They had plenty of talented players in Houston, from Whitney Mercilus to Jadeveon Clowney, but their defense doesn’t come close to what the Steelers have in place from top to bottom. The Steelers have a ball hawking secondary, along with inside linebackers that can fly all over the field. This allows T.J. to get more coverage sacks, instead of having to beat his man solely with his moves.

3. The NFL is More Pass Heavy Than Ever

The NFL has shifted in how offenses operate, in terms of using running backs less and less. Granted, it is harder to hit the quarterback successfully due to the rule changes and how fast they are getting the ball out. Nonetheless, the NFL is more pass happy than it has ever been, with teams throwing 40-50 times on a regular basis. That allows for more opportunities for T.J. to rush the passer and rack up sacks. One rule change that will also benefit T.J. with his stats, is the new 17-game schedule. That is one more game per season where T.J. can dominant another poor offensive tackle. Considering the Steelers have never had a losing record under head coach Mike Tomlin, means that opposing teams are passing even more against the Steelers because they are likely losing the game. The opposing teams are playing catch up, and once again, that will help T.J. get sacks. All these factors will go into T.J. challenging his brother J.J. and matching or even surpassing the pristine resume he already has.

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