TJ Watt is one of the best defensive players in the NFL right now, which isn't exactly a surprise when you look at all of his stats and accomplishments from so far in his career. However, if you ask another former superstar defender in Aaron Donald, he believes that Watt should have even more accolades to his name than he already does.
If there's somebody who knows anything about being a superstar defender, it's Donald, who recently closed the book on a Hall of Fame career with the Los Angeles Rams when he announced his retirement earlier this offseason. While Watt won the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year award, Donald thinks that Watt has been snubbed for the award on a couple of occasions, and that he should probably have another award or two to his name by now.
Aaron Donald on TJ Watt:
"I felt like he should've won a couple more Defensive Player of the Year Awards, he kind of got snubbed a couple times, I ain't gonna lie.”#steelers
🎥YT/Aaron Donald pic.twitter.com/ONSEqTEGHH
— Matthew Luciow (@matthewluciow92) March 24, 2024
TJ Watt might have easier time winning DPOY now that Aaron Donald is retired
Watt has been one of the most dominant players in the league since 2017, and while he's finished in the top three for Defensive Player of the Year four times, he's only won it once. That came in 2021, when he led the league with a whopping 22.5 sacks and 21 tackles for a loss, while also forcing five fumbles and registering 39 quarterback hits.
Of course, it's worth noting that in 2020, Watt was beat out by Donald for the award in what is widely considered the best all-around season of the Rams legends' career. In 2019, Watt was beat out by cornerback Stephon Gilmore, and in 2023, Watt narrowly finished behind Myles Garrett. If it weren't for such strong competition, chances are he already would have multiple awards to his name.
While Garrett, Micah Parsons, and Maxx Crosby seem likely to continue providing him competition for the award moving forward, not having to compete with Donald should be a welcome relief for Watt. Donald won three times throughout his career, and finished in the top three on two separate occasions as well.
While players will feel that they were snubbed every year, Watt has simply had bad timing with his strong seasons. Gilmore turned in one of the best campaigns in NFL history for a cornerback in 2019, Donald was on another planet in 2020, and Garrett was the best all-around defensive player in 2023, despite the fact Watt led the league in sacks for the third time in his career.
Watt will be entering his age 30 season in 2024, and while he's dealt with some injuries in recent years, when he's been on the field, he's shown no signs of slowing down. Assuming he keeps performing at the level he's been at for the past few years, he will surely add another DPOY award to his trophy case, and assuming he does, chances are Donald will be quite happy with that development.
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