T.J. Watt was named to his whopping sixth consecutive Pro Bowl this season, another feather in his cap as a potential future Hall-of-Famer. Even if the Pittsburgh Steelers star hadn't opted out of the upcoming events in Las Vegas this weekend, though, it's safe to say he still would've preferred one specific teammate to take his place.

Why? Not just because Alex Highsmith was easily Pittsburgh's most impactful pass-rusher this season, but also because the third-year pro doesn't get nearly the league-wide attention his stellar play deserves—a dynamic that's left Watt scratching his head.

“It doesn't really make a lot of sense to be honest,” he said of Highsmith's lack of notoriety, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “A year prior he had a lot of pressures and just wasn't able to get the quarterback down. That's what we were talking about the whole offseason, was just he gets the quarterback down, he is gonna explode. Everybody saw that this year—the stats came with it and a lot of things that don't show up on the stats. He just had an incredible year against the run and the pass, and I just told him to stay the course and all that stuff will take care of itself. You can really control what you can control and just try to springboard and get better and keep climbing each and every year.”

Following his breakout 2022 campaign, climbing higher for Highsmith would arguably make him a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He led the Steelers and finished sixth in the NFL with 14.5 sacks this season, eight-and-a-half more than last year. Highsmith also had 12 tackles for loss and a team-high five forced fumbles, tying Philadelphia Eagles star Haason Redick for the most in all of football.

Watt, by contrast, missed six games due to injury, notching just five-and-a-half sacks, the lowest total of his career. He was named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster alongside Matt Judon and Khalil Mack regardless. Highsmith didn't even get the call from the league office once Watt opted out of the Pro Bowl festivities. Matt Milano of the Buffalo Bills was chosen to replace Watt at outside linebacker in the AFC.

Does his relative anonymity outside Pittsburgh bother Highsmith? Even if it does, Watt is fully convinced that frustration won't stop the 25-year-old's ongoing ascent toward becoming one of the league's best defenders.

“I'm not worried about Alex at all,” Watt said. “He's got plenty of motivation, plenty of support and I'm just super excited to see how he continues to grow as a teammate and a player.”