One member of the Pittsburgh Steelers has a chance to pick up some serious hardware this offseason.
The Associated Press announced the finalists for the National Football League’s biggest honors of the season. Included in their announcement, were the finalists for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. Steelers star linebacker TJ Watt was announced as one of the five finalists for the prestigious award.
The finalists are:
Zack Baun – Philadelphia Eagles
Myles Garrett – Cleveland Browns
Trey Hendrickson – Cincinnati Bengals
Patrick Surtain II – Denver Broncos
T.J. Watt – Pittsburgh Steelers
That’s some impressive company for Watt to be included in. It’s not too shocking that Watt was named a finalist as he finished the season with a league-leading six forced fumbles to go along with 11.5 sacks and 27 quarterback hits. Watt was destructive on defense once again this year and already has one of these awards under his belt.
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Pittsburgh is fortunate to have Watt as the focal point of its defense and he was impressive yet again. He’s just 30 years old. He has plenty of good years ahead of him. The Steelers have a lot of decisions to make this offseason but at least they shouldn’t have to worry about him. If the Steelers can add another piece or two to the defense this offseason to pair with Watt, they could be pretty scary next year.
The Steelers have a bright future thanks in part to Watt’s excellence.
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Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images