Steelers' Teryl Austin And TJ Watt Sound Off On Uncomfortable Move

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been trying to figure out how to help star pass rusher TJ Watt have more of an impact on the game. Opposing offensive coaches have built entire gameplans to keep him from wrecking everything and it seemed to work. However, Pittsburgh finally bought into the idea of moving him around more against the New England Patriots. While both of his sacks came from his normal position, the fact that he was constantly switching sides and using other moves helped open him up to more favorable matchups, where he could be his normal self. 

As insider Mark Kaboly recently mentioned in his X article, Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin defended the decision to keep Watt moving around and getting him out of his comfort zone.

"You still have to prepare for [teams avoiding Watt]," Austin said. "I know it is not his favorite side, but if I were an offensive coordinator, I don’t care where the guy is, I’m going to know where he is, I’m going to take care of him."

Obviously, Watt wants to hang around on the spot that he has exclusively played for almost his entire career. The problem is that when you're expected to be in one specific spot, teams can eventually figure out how to shut that down. That seemed to happen starting in the Steelers' bye week in 2024, and it led to one of the least productive stretches of his NFL career. 

Something obviously had to change. No good coach would just watch their generational talent get stopped time after time. Watt has the capability to single-handedly destroy an offensive gameplan, even after he turned 30 years old. That's why Austin and Head Coach Mike Tomlin are trying whatever they can to open up a rush lane for their superstar edge rusher. 

Watt is still trying to get used to playing at right outside linebacker, as he still does not feel good on that side yet.

"It’s just a comfort thing for me," Watt said.

As Kaboly says after that, "Production is more important than comfort at this point." While Watt may not feel great switching sides, it's helping to keep him from getting triple-teamed on nearly every play. Individually, he had an amazing game against the Patriots in Week 3. When he was playing his normal position, he only had to get through one or two players. One simple chip is not enough to slow him down. 

Tomlin keeps telling the media "We don't seek comfort." The former Defensive Player of the Year should not be looking to seek that either, because that will lead to him getting blown up at his natural role all day every day. 

If he can build off of his great performance against New England, he can force himself right back into the NFL's AP Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Watt won't be complaining about how weird it feels to play on that side when people are voting him into awards. Sometimes, you just have to be a team player and try something you're uncomfortable with for the betterment of the team.

Steelers Won't Have To Worry About LOLB When Watt Switches Sides

If any team has the ability to fill Watt's shoes, it's Pittsburgh. Even with Alex Highsmith out with injury, young guns Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer have proven to have endless motors that can make life hard on any offensive tackle. There's nothing to worry about when Herbig breaks out his speed move to provide pressure from the quarterback's front side.

What do you think about Austin and Watt's reactions to moving the generational talent to opposite sides of the line? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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