Steelers’ T.J. Watt named top edge rusher in NFL heading into 2024 season

Tyler Lauletta

Steelers’ T.J. Watt named top edge rusher in NFL heading into 2024 season image

As the offseason summer rolls into training camp, more and more positional rankings are being published, giving fans and media alike an idea of where teams and players stand heading into the 2024 NFL season.

Surprising absolutely no one, Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker T.J. Watt is being cited as one of the top defenders in the league.

In a recent ranking of the top edge rushers in the NFL, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports awarded Watt the No. 1 spot on the list, putting him ahead of fellow wreaking balls Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns and Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers.

Here’s what Benjamin had to say about Watt:

“Myles Garrett has technically been steadier over the last half decade, if only because an injury limited Watt to 10 games in 2022. In every other way, though, No. 90 on the Steelers has been the standard-setter for edge rushing, and it's not even particularly close. Clearing 13 sacks in each of his last five healthy seasons, with close to 30 forced fumbles and 200 quarterback hits in his vaunted career, the six-time Pro Bowler is the heart of Pittsburgh's old-school program, pairing elite get-off with jarring physicality. If he's on the field, Watt is easily the most feared player at his position.”

Indeed, Watt’s steady production as a disruptor makes him a clear pick as one of the most valuable defenders in the NFL. Few individual players on the defensive side of the ball can come close to impacting the course of a game as Watt does week after week after week.

Since being drafted ahead of the 2017 season, Watt’s play has been as consistent as it has been dominant.

YearGPTacklesSacksFFInt
201715547.011
2018166813.060
2019165514.582
2020155315.021
2021156422.550
202210395.512
2023176819.041

Watt wasn’t the only Steelers defender to make the list, as he was joined by fellow linebacker Alex Highsmith, who was named the No. 19 edge rusher of the coming season.

Tyler Lauletta

Tyler Lauletta Photo

Tyler Lauletta has been working in sports media for nearly a decade, with stops at Business Insider and Sports Illustrated. Residing just outside Philadelphia, he is a recovering Truster of the Process and remains a sicko for the Eagles, Sixers and Phillies. He’s covered the Super Bowl and World Series from the press box and hopes to finagle his way into Wimbledon in the near future. You can follow him on X/Twitter @tylerlauletta.