Steelers' T.J. Watt Receives Highest Praise From Aaron Donald Over Micah Parsons And Myles Garrett: 'He's That Guy'

Ever since Watt entered the league in 2017, he has made a name for himself. Watt is the younger brother of future Hall of Fame defensive end, J.J. Watt and former Steelers fullback, Derek Watt. Derek never achieved the incredible level of success that his brothers did. However, J.J. had already been dominating the NFL for six seasons when T.J. made his entry. When T.J. attended the NFL Combine and started meeting with NFL teams, he was naturally compared to his two older brothers. Many critics felt he would never be as good as J.J. Although the brothers play different positions, they are constantly compared.

J.J. retired at the end of the 2022 season and began working as an analyst and full-time T.J. advocate. That has led to constant conversations about who will become the better player. Now, one of their former Defensive Player of the Year rivals, Aaron Donald, has decided to weigh in. He recently joined his former teammate Chris Long on his podcast, Green Light with Chris Long. Long said he never expected conversations to arise where it was predicted that T.J. would be better than J.J. Donald agrees and comments that it is really special to have two brothers who are so incredible. 

"From the time I seen T.J. Watt in the league, from the first time I seen him to last year, he's consistently been dominating in the league. Just a lot of respect for him. I think he's that guy," said Donald.

Long mentions some of the other top defenders in the league, like Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons. He asks Donald who, out of the whole NFL, he sees as the next "you." Who will step into his cleats as the most elite defensive player in the league? That proverbial torch is being passed from Donald to T.J. Donald mentions Parsons, as well as Myles Garrett as notable names, but ultimately gives his answer. 

"I would say right now, I think it's T.J. Watt. If you talk about a guy who's consistent, who has been doing it year in and year out consistently, that's gonna get you 15 sacks or 13 sacks, or d**n 22 sacks. He's a guy who's been doing it consistently. Interceptions, touchdowns, his stats be ridiculous every single year. He's that guy to me."

Donald, a Pittsburgh native, entered the league in 2014 when he was drafted 13th overall by the St. Louis Rams. During his 10 seasons, Donald had an extremely impressive career. He helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI, won Defensive Player of the Year a whopping three times, was an eight-time First Team All-Pro, and was a Pro Bowler 10 times. 

While all three players overlapped during their time in the league, Donald and T.J. competed for the Defensive Player of the Year against each other more than once. Donald's three wins tie J.J. and Lawrence Taylor for the most in history. T.J. has only won the award once, but most agree that he should have had a few, including Donald. On a recent podcast, Donald shared that he believes the committee snubbed T.J.   

Steelers Have Filled A Massive Hole In The Defense

As great as T.J. is, he can't do it all, not even with Alex Highsmith, Cam Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick out there. The team has been missing an inside linebacker for years. It is not for lack of trying; they traded up to get Devin Bush in 2019, and in 2023, they acquired Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander. Unfortunately, inside linebacker injuries seem to be a real problem in Pittsburgh lately. Bush tore his ACL and never seemed to fully recover. Holcomb and Alexander suffered season-ending injuries last year, and it is unclear if Holcomb will be able to play in 2024. 

The Steelers must have decided they needed to go big, so they made the largest free agency signing in team history by bringing in former Baltimore Ravens star linebacker, Patrick Queen. Queen signed a three-year, $41 million contract and told the media he looks forward to being the "villain."  

Queen was drafted in the first round in 2020 out of LSU. The Ravens declined his fifth-year option after offering another linebacker, Roquan Smith, a huge deal. Besides, the Ravens are also dealing with quarterback Lamar Jackson's massive contract. Their loss is the Steelers' gain, however. During his four years in the league, Queen has racked up 454 total tackles, 13.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and four interceptions. He should be the perfect complement to Watt and the rest of the Steelers' defense in 2024.