In his fantastic Hall of Fame speech, Pittsburgh Steelers iconic safety Troy Polamalu said the biggest compliment a Steelers great can give a current player is “You could have played with us.” These six words mean that a current-day player is so good, so tough, and so impactful that he would have fit in any of the incredible Steel Curtain defenses of yore. And that’s exactly what Steelers legends are saying about 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate, TJ Watt.

In a Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette column by Ray Fittipaldo, multiple Steelers Hall of Famers and feared defenders of yesterday said that current Steelers outside linebacker TJ Watt “could have played with us” or some version of that sentiment.

“There is no question T.J. Watt is a generational talent,” Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Steelers cornerback Mel Blount, said. “That guy is a game-wrecker. He’s phenomenal. He could have played in any era.”

Defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene, a Hall of Famer, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and cornerstone of the Steel Curtain, added that Watt is “special” and praised him for improving tremendously throughout his career.

It wasn’t just '70s Steelers singing Watt’s praises either. More modern Steelers legends echoed these sentiments.

“I’m not good at predicting talent, but I knew he was damn good,” added James Harrison, who played his final NFL season with Watt when the latter was a rookie out of Wisconsin.

And defensive end Aaron Smith, who won a Super Bowl with the team in 2008 and is now in the Steelers Ring of Honor with Harrison, added the exact six-word compliment that Polamalu said marks a great Steeler.

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“He could have played with us,” Smith noted. “The motor, the desire to win, the competitive nature … he makes plays when you need to make plays.”

Watt is currently in the mix with the Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett and Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons for the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Steelers pass-rusher has 10.5 sacks through nine games this season.

If he does take home the honor, he would join Greene, Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Mike Singletary, and Ray Lewis as two-time winners of the award and be one behind his brother JJ Watt, Aaron Donald, and Lawrence Taylor, who are the only three-time winners.