Latest news with #NFLDefensivePlayeroftheYear
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
T.J. Watt embraces new role with Pittsburgh Steelers by rushing from both sides
T. J. Watt (via Getty Images) Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt is making a thoughtful adjustment to his strategy heading into the 2025 NFL season. Traditionally dominant rushing from the left edge, the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year is now trying to become ambidextrous, mastering both edges of the field to maximize his effect and keep opposing offenses off balance. T.J. Watt's evolution: From single-sided dominance to multi-angled threat Since joining the league in 2017, T.J. Watt has been a regular presence on the left side of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, playing almost 4,900 snaps there and just 653 on the right. That positioning served him well to amass some of the most dominant seasons in recent history—including tying Michael Strahan's single-season sack record in 2021 with 22.5—but it also made his whereabouts more predictable for opposing offensive coordinators. Now, going into his ninth year and turning 31 in October, T.J. Watt is embracing flexibility. During Latrobe's training camp, he has spent entire days practicing rushing from one side before flipping over to the other side in subsequent sessions. The objective was to become comfortable enough to switch back and forth during a game without compromising technique. Steelers training camp: T.J. Watt talks moving around defense, growth of Jack Sawyer & Nick Herbig "I prefer the left, but at this point in my career, I want to be an impact player," T.J. Watt said in January. "I don't want to be schemed out of games. I want to be able to deliver the football in good field positions or take the football away. It wasn't a good enough year for me." Advantages to moving T.J. Watt's position Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin sees the benefit of moving Watt around but says the shift will be calculated. "Sometimes things happen that way, just how the season unfolds. At some point maybe Alex [Highsmith] was out, so [Watt] wanted to stick to his favorite side and all that stuff. We like it when he moves around because it's harder for the teams to just say, 'Hey, TJ's going to be over here. Let's block it and set the protection. ' We'll move him around a little bit, but we're not going to move him around to our detriment. We know he's had some great seasons coming on that our defensive left, offensive right sides, and he could still do that. We're trying to open up, open it up for him and others so we can get more sacks," he said. The Steelers think Watt's athleticism will also spread to the other members of the pass rush. Counter-edge rusher Alex Highsmith was helped by Watt's right-side snaps last season, and rookie Jack Sawyer said working both sides keeps all the rushers off-balance and on their toes. Watt, who just signed a contract extension worth $108 million guaranteed, is unequivocal about his motivation: to remain effective deep into his playing career. Paced alongside Highsmith, Nick Herbig, or alternating rookies, his enlarged toolkit might bring a fresh dimension to Pittsburgh's defensive units. Also read: T.J. Watt trade buzz grows after $121 million deal projection shocks Steelers fans If Watt can marry his signature power with multi-directional unpredictability, the Steelers' defense might just be all the more lethal. For a player already atop the NFL's defensive mountain, this next step might just hold him there. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Steelers countdown to kickoff — No. 26: a history of the number and who wore it best
The Steelers countdown to kickoff is here — and we're at 26 days until Pittsburgh faces off against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. In the spirit of the countdown, we're taking a look at the history of No. 26 and the players who wore it best. Current Steelers No. 26 wearer: CB Brandin Echols Signing with Pittsburgh on a two-year deal this past March, CB Brandin Echols is the current No. 26 on the Steelers roster. He recently proved why he belongs on this great 2025 Steelers defense with a fantastic training camp performance and a preseason outing against the Jaguars last Saturday — practically cementing his place on the 53-man roster this season. Last five Steelers to wear No. 26: Best No. 26 in Steelers history: CB Rod Woodson There is no debating this selection — the best Steeler to ever wear No. 26 is CB Rod Woodson. Selected with the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 1987 NFL Draft, Woodson brought a decade of dominance to the Steel City — snagging 38 interceptions, the fourth most all time as a Steeler. His five pick-sixes are tied for the most all time by a Steeler — a true playmaker in Pittsburgh's secondary. In his 17-year career, Woodson was named to 11 Pro Bowls, six First-Team All-Pro selections, and three Second-Team All-Pro selections. He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 and made the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team, the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. A true Steelers legend — and ultimately the best wearer of No. 26 in Pittsburgh. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
San Francisco Chronicle
08-08-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
49ers practice report: Brock Purdy, offense rebound after embarrassing start vs. Broncos
The San Francisco 49ers ' first-string offense looked lost. And the Denver Broncos' starting defense looked like the 1985 Bears. For starters, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was smacked in the backfield by linebacker Nick Bonitto. The second snap of team drills during Thursday's joint training-camp practice: QB Brock Purdy fired an incompletion to tightly covered wideout Ricky Pearsall. The third play: Running back Patrick Taylor was stonewalled behind the line of scrimmage. The next snap: Bonitto blew up another McCaffrey run. Each play was punctuated by whoofing by the Denver's starters and their teammates on the sideline, a group that included Dre Greenlaw, the former 49ers linebacker who was sidelined with a quadriceps injury. And it appeared their high-decibel celebrations wouldn't stop. After 10 snaps, Purdy and QB Mac Jones had each taken a would-be sack and four of the 49ers' five runs had lost yardage. 'I think they came out ready to roll, to compete,' Purdy said. 'You could feel them. They were in the backfield a couple times, had a couple sacks and obviously some (tackles for loss). They were ready to roll, but at the same time, it's not like we weren't competing at all. We are.' And they did — eventually. The 49ers steadied themselves against a defense that allowed the third-fewest points in the NFL last season and emerged with some bright spots. Despite playing without All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams (resting) and trotting out a threadbare wide receiver corps headlined by Pearsall, what began as a nightmare ended with a touchdown: The 49ers' first-stringers finished with an eight-snap, two-minute-drill drive in which Purdy completed 4 of 6 passes, capping it with a 10-yard scoring pass to wideout Demarcus Robinson. 'That's going to happen in games,' Purdy said. 'You're not going to have a great first half, but you regroup, and then how are you going to finish? I thought we had a good second half of the practice (after we) faced some adversity as an offense.' Purdy completed 16 of 25 passes after a wobbly 4-of-8 start. He threw touchdown passes to McCaffrey and wide receiver Jordan Watkins during a red-zone period, and lofted a pinpoint, 30-yard touchdown pass to Pearsall despite all-over-him coverage by rookie cornerback Jahdae Barron, Denver's first-round pick. Still, the joint practice was a reality check. Purdy has enjoyed a largely stellar and stress-free camp against a defense that could feature eight new starters and has dealt with injuries to starting cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green while All-Pro pass rusher Nick Bosa has been given regular rest days. On Thursday, the Broncos featured a group that included cornerback Patrick Surtain, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and defensive end Zach Allen, who signed a four-year, $102 million contract extension last week. 'We need that kind of stuff to understand where we're at and where we need to get better,' Purdy said. 'And learn from it and understand that football's not going to be perfect, but how are you going to respond?' After spending the past week cooking 49ers cornerbacks, the red-hot Pearsall more closely resembled the rookie who was finding his way for most of last season. The 2024 first-round pick had two receptions on five targets in team drills, and was closely shadowed by cornerback Riley Moss on each incompletion. Pearsall had a 2-yard catch on a quick out along with his TD catch against Barron. In 7-on-7 work, Pearsall had no catches on three targets and Purdy was picked off twice when targeting him. Pearsall did appear to get a step on his defender on a stutter-and-go move, but Purdy's pass floated and was intercepted by safety JL Skinner. Purdy later was picked by nickelback Ja'Quan McMillan, who had tight coverage on Pearsall. Third-string cornerback Jaden Robinson, an undrafted rookie, broke up a No. 3 QB Carter Bradley pass intended for Pearsall. The bright spot, of course, was Pearsall's long TD grab down the right sideline in team drills. 'It's something that we've been practicing this whole offseason — laying the ball and him being where he needs to be and him fighting through contact and getting separation,' Purdy said. 'And then the ball was right there, and it was just good timing. It's something that we've been repping.' He went 1 of 2 in team drills, and his incompletion was deflected at the line of scrimmage. His completion: A 30-yard laser that hit Watkins in stride on a crossing route. Bradley, 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, is a 2024 undrafted free agent who was released by the Raiders last month and signed by the 49ers last week. After he impressed the 49ers in a workout, prompting them to waive QB Tanner Mordecai, he made an impression on Richard Sherman when the former 49ers cornerback attended practice Monday 'I don't know who (No.) 17 is,' Sherman said while interviewing head coach Kyle Shanahan on his podcast. 'He looked like he was dropping dimes today.' Shanahan responded by telling Sherman he was hesitant to add Bradley because his father, Gus, is the 49ers assistant head coach/defense. 'That was the only reason I almost didn't want to do it,' Shanahan said. 'I was like, 'Dude, we can't. Oh, wait: That guy throws too good. I don't care who his dad is.'' Jones completed 11 of 14 passes with an interception and took at least three 'sacks.' Two of Jones' incompletions were spikes during a two-minute drill that ended with a 52-yard field goal by Jake Moody. Jones heaved an exquisite 50-yard touchdown pass to wideout Robbie Chosen, who got behind two defenders. 'We've really liked what we've seen from him so far,' Shanahan said. 'We had an idea of what we hoped he'd be like, and he's been exactly that. He's been playing really well and, hopefully, he'll continue that.' During a special-teams period, Moody recovered from a shaky start that included a 28-yard field goal that clanged in off the left upright. Moody's next attempt, a 33-yarder, was good but it nearly clipped the right upright. He finished his 6-of-6 performance with rockets from 51 and 54 yards that soared over the crossbar. Worry began to mount among 49ers fans after star defensive end Nick Bosa missed three straight practices. Shanahan said his absences weren't due to injury. Just veteran rest days. Bosa suited up for the first time in almost a week Thursday, and although perhaps not as dominant, was back to business as usual. 'Bosa usually is pretty good but I think he's still working to get to his top self,' Shanahan said. 'He was a little sore earlier in the week. (He) took Monday off. I think he just did individual (drills) on Tuesday. So this is the first day for him to get back there in about six days and really compete.' Bosa lost his first 1-on-1 rep to former 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey. But really, it was just a warmup. Thursday's marathon session, which lasted about 2 hours and 15 minutes, reminded McGlinchey what it was like to face one of the league's best defensive ends daily for nearly a half decade: 'Well, I did it for four years. It is very good work. He's one of the best in the world at what he does.' Opposite pass-rushing specialist Bryce Huff in one 11-on-11 rep, Bosa and Huff converged on Broncos quarterback Bo Nix in a hurry. One of the best speed rushes in the NFL got Bosa past veteran left tackle Garett Bolles. Huff won his rep against McGlinchey. A broken play resulted. Three rookies frequented the 49ers' first-team defense: Mykel Williams before leaving with what the team says is a minor knee injury, nickel back Upton Stout and defensive tackle C.J. West. Even defensive tackle Alfred Collins occasionally mixed in with the unit. Williams and Stout had been first-team regulars regardless of circumstance. But Shanahan was asked whether Collins and West, listed as a third-stringer in the team's first unofficial depth chart earlier this week, had similarly earned first-team attention. 'They're battling just like everyone else, but we've lost about five D-linemen over the last week and I think we had like six guys out there today,' Shanahan said. 'So those six are just trying to get us through the practice. I'm not looking too much into 1s, 2s and 3s right now. They're all kind of in the same group.' West, sans another eye-opening 1-on-1 showing, still held his own inside during team periods. Collins was unusually impressive during 1-on-1 work, winning a couple of reps with finesse — far from his strong suit as a raw pass rusher. Stout stuck to his play-a-day routine with a diving 1-on-1 interception.
NBC Sports
06-08-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Watt, Anderson worth DPOY bets over favorites
Searching for value within this year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year markets, Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick share why they're targeting odds further down the board for two of the AFC's elite defenders.
USA Today
05-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Aaron Donald takes 4 of the top-10 best DT seasons since 2019
It's hard to pick another defensive tackle better than Los Angeles Rams legend Aaron Donald. The Rams' star made the Pro Bowl all 10 years he played in the NFL, as well as eight first-team All-Pro teams and three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. He was a top-5 vote-getter for DPOY four other teams, too. So, it's not terribly surprising that some of Donald's seasons rank among the best by a defensive tackle over the past six seasons. But, according to Pro Football Network, Donald's four best seasons took the top-four spots in their top-10 rankings since 2019. These were ranked on PFN's DT+ metric. Here's how the seasons broke down for Donald: Now, it should be noted that Donald's 2018 season, when he led the NFL with 20.5 sacks, wasn't included because it predated the 2019 cut-off. But the rest of these seasons make sense. Donald tallied 12.5 sacks in 2021 with 19 tackles for a loss, 25 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles in the Rams' Super Bowl-winning year. He also came in third for DPOY. In 2019, Donald led the NFL with 20 tackles for a loss to go with his 12.5 sacks and 24 quarterback hits. He finished fifth in DPOY. Oddly enough, Donald's best statistical season and third DPOY award ranked third on this list. He tallied 13.5 sacks — his second most in a season after his 2018 year — with 14 tackles for a loss, 28 quarterback hits and a NFL-leading approximate value (via Pro Football Reference) of 23. Donald's final NFL season in 2023 ranked fourth on the list. He registered eight sacks, 16 tackles for a loss and 23 quarterback hits. While he didn't make the DPOY top-5, he finished ninth in Comeback Player of the Year after he missed six games in 2022. Donald was one of the best defensive players of the past decade and played every year for the Rams. It will be tough for any defensive tackle in the near future to come close to the accomplishments of Donald.
