The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense did not start the 2025 season off on a great note. It was a rough first couple of games for the unit, but the group has improved week over week, with its best performances coming in Weeks 3 and 4, respectively. Now that the team is on a bye in Week 5, the coaching staff and players will be able to hit the film room to get a better sense of what needs to be improved upon throughout the course of a long stretch to end the campaign. One thing is certain, however, and it’s that 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year TJ Watt is back to his normal self.

Despite being named the NFL’s best defensive player just once, many Steelers fans believe that the future Hall of Fame edge rusher should have won the honor at least twice, and maybe three times by now. He is often forgotten about and disrespected when analysts, players and fans discuss the most dominant pass rushers in all of football. It doesn’t make much sense because of how incredible he is when on the field.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz recently posted a quick teaser on his X page from an interview he had with New York Giants defender Brian Burns. On a recent episode of The Schultz Report

, the veteran was asked to name the best of the best when it comes to getting to the quarterback. In what Steelers fans have come to expect, Watt was not included on the list.

“No order, but me, I’d put [Nik] Bonitto in there, Micah [Parsons] hasn’t, like, having hel*a sack numbers, but when I watch his tape, like, he’s flying off the ball. I’d put Micah on there,” Burns said. “I’m not sure if Maxx [Crosby] got off to a slow start, but the last game he had was crazy. Who else is up there right now? Oh my God, I’m tripping. Myles [Garrett]. I’m tripping.”

One has to respect Burns’ self confidence, but he has never had a season with over 13 sacks throughout his NFL career, and his best year with 12.5 came back in 2022. Nik Bonnito is another top-notch defender in the NFL, but is only four seasons into his young career. Watt continues to impress on a yearly basis, and hasn’t let up in 2025. The four-time All-Pro has six quarterback hits, five tackles for loss and three sacks in four weeks. There’s no doubt that he remains among the game’s elite. He even has one interception this season as well.

Watt didn’t even end up getting any kind of credit or shoutout from Burns, which is what has come to be expected. For some reason, there remains a lack of true respect for the Steelers’ team captain no matter what kind of run he is on. The veteran is currently fourth on the active sack leaders list and was drafted in 2017. The three individuals above him were drafted no later than 2011.

There comes a time when Watt needs to earn the credit that is due and while he has slipped through the cracks in recent years for some unknown reason, he remains as one of the best pass rushers in all of football. Without him on the field, the Steelers’ defense would be in a lot of trouble due to how much of a significant impact he truly has.

Steelers Will Continue To Rely On Watt’s Dominance

Watt did go through a bit of a dry spell at the end of the 2024 campaign and in the first couple weeks of 2025, but he has once again reminded fans why he is so dominant. The Week 3 and Week 4 matchups saw him make big play after big play. He is still getting to the quarterback extremely often and someone who remains as a player that gets overlooked too many times in any given season.