T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers are ready to return to the playoffs in 2023. They have been treading water for a few years but are eager to make it back to playing football deep into January. If they do make that improvement, Watt and the Pittsburgh defense will likely be the reason why.

Watt sat down with Ben Roethlisberger on his show “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” to discuss the Steelers' upcoming season. When the topic of the defense came up, he said that he was very encouraged with the direction of the unit, though was cautious when saying whether it would be the year they took a big leap.

“I think it’s still too early to have a true sense of ‘this is the year,’ just because they always say you don’t want to be the guy that's just crushing it with no pads on. You don’t really know the personality of everybody yet, so it's too early for that” Watt said on the podcast with his former Steelers teammate. “But I’m very encouraged with the direction that we’re going, especially on the defensive side of the ball. That’s what I can speak for. Guys are flying around, having a lot of fun, communicating and making a lot of those splash plays, and that’s all you can really ask for this time of year.”

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The Steelers have been a solid defensive team with Watt on the field over the years. Other big-name players like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cam Heyward and a solid supporting cast featuring rookies Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton, Alex Highsmith, Patrick Peterson, Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts, they have the pieces to be a great unit — maybe even the best in the league — around their superstar edge rusher.

Watt added that building the foundation for proper communication is huge given the raucous environment the Steelers step into on Sundays. It will be extra important as the Kenny Pickett-led offense tries to find its way. The Steelers have the talent to be a great squad. The only question is whether they can get enough production from their offense and an improvement from their defense.