The Pittsburgh Steelers have been on both sides of some questionable calls made by officials so far in the 2023 NFL season, as that is usually the case since NFL referees are never perfect. All across the NFL, officials try to remain consistent in the way they officiate the game. This season, they seem to be giving a slight advantage to some of the offensive tackles across the league as they have been allowing them to line up deeper in their stance and further away from the line of scrimmage, which TJ Watt spoke about on the Dan Patrick Show.
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Steelers' TJ Watt participates in Day 2 of padded practice in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers' Watt Gives Opinion On Referees' New Ways Of Officiating
The most obvious example of this new kind of alignment some offensive tackles have been using was in the first game of the 2023 regular season, when Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor seemed to be nearly in the backfield on most snaps and was even jumping before the snap a lot of the time. No other NFL player has tried doing what Taylor did, as he received five penalties in Week 2 when he tried to play the same way. However, many tackles are lining up a little further off the ball as a way to brace for impact against some of the league's top edge rushers.
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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith pre-snap against the Indianapolis Colts on December 27, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Steelers have two of the best pass rushers in the NFL on their defense in Watt and Alex Highsmith. Watt is currently tied for the league-lead in sacks coming off of the bye week, and Highsmith has two strip sacks so far this season which both resulted in a recovery by Watt, with one being returned for a touchdown. When an offensive line is going up against a daunting duo like Watt and Highsmith, they need to try everything they can to get an advantage which is why some tackles are lining up further off the line of scrimmage. Watt had a discussion with Dan Patrick about this.
"That's something we're tackling too. The refs are getting better at it. The thing is if a tackle lines up a little deeper, they're going to be more lenient on letting us get as close to the line of scrimmage as possible, so it's kind of an in-game thing. Hopefully if he is lining up a little deeper, they aren't giving him that head start or whatever they call it."
The "head start" Watt is talking about is exactly what Taylor was doing in Week 1, but eventually was penalized for in Week 2. Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson has also been the subject of some scrutiny for the same issue, especially last year leading up to the Eagles Super Bowl run. He doesn't jump as early as Taylor, and it seems Johnson is just a really good tackle that moves exactly when the ball is snapped.
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Steelers edge rusher, TJ Watt (#90).
Patrick jokingly attributed this new method being used by offensive tackles to today's edge rushers being way more athletic and versatile, which Watt kind of laughed off and didn't really acknowledge. If you look across the league, this is definitely the reason tackles feel the need to line up deeper. With players like Watt, Highsmith, Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa, and Aidan Hutchinson coming off the edge, tackles need to brace for them due to their power, as well as their athleticism and speed. These guys are athletic specimens that force an offensive lineman to do whatever is necessary to buy more time for their quarterbacks.
In a time where every new rule introduced by the league seems to benefit the offense and hurt what the defense is able to do, it'll be interesting to see how the NFL officiates this new method being used by tackles going forward. We may see more flags for illegal formations due to this, or the NFL will become more lenient in how they allow defenders to line up to combat this.
What do you think of Watt's comments regarding the way tackles are lining up? Let us know in the comments below!
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