The Steelers should seriously consider trading TJ Watt.
As someone who loves watching him play for the Steelers, it pains me to say it. As a father of young children who look up to TJ Watt, wear his jerseys, and have his poster on their walls, it kills me.
But in today’s NFL you don’t win a Super Bowl when your best player is on defense.
TJ Watt is an all time player, and the right fit for a team who maybe is one piece away from being a Super Bowl contender.
The Steelers are not one piece away from being a Super Bowl contender, even with Watt on their roster.
It would be great for him to spend his entire career in Pittsburgh and win a Super Bowl. But at this juncture, as things stand, I can’t envision the Steelers getting to the promised land during his career.
If the Steelers want to expedite the process of getting back to the Super Bowl, they could do that by trading TJ Watt.
It’s just business. TJ has 2 maybe 3 great years left? Maybe.
What can the Steelers do to this roster, with TJ on it, to get to a Super Bowl in the next 2 or 3 years?
If you have a realistic answer, I’m all ears, and please send it to the Steelers front office.
From a tactical standpoint, it makes sense too. The NFL isn’t built on defense anymore, no matter how much Mike Tomlin and Art Rooney want it to be.
Yes you need dynamic players who can make splash plays on that side of the ball, but you can’t win a Super Bowl without an elite offense. The Steelers are living, breathing proof of that.
Think about the return you could get for TJ Watt? I would think you could get 2 first round picks, plus a second and maybe one day 3 pick.
What would serve the Steelers better? Having Watt continue his stellar career in Black and Gold, finish 10-7 and get blown out in the Wild Card round every year?
Or if you had two first round picks this year, and two next year, maybe you could put together a dynamic offense that will keep pace in today's NFL.
Justin Fields or Russell Wilson will probably be the starting quarterback next year, but the Steelers need to assume their next franchise QB is in college currently.
If they see a potential franchise quarterback in the draft, they have to take him. Make a move to get him, whatever it takes.
Maybe an extra first round pick from a TJ Watt trade helps you do what the Chiefs did and move up to pick the next Patrick Mahomes.
Maybe the extra pick de-risks the QB pick by having another first rounder at another position in camp.
I’d even just draft a QB with every pick until you get the guy that works out.
I’m kidding, sort of.
The reality is, you can’t win a Super Bowl in this league without having an elite QB. So if you don’t have one, get a new guy. Try for a couple years, and if he isn’t the guy, start over. Rinse and repeat until you have a franchise QB.
It would suck to see TJ in another jersey, but you know what sucks worse? Having to endure Tomlin's all to common early playoff exits.
TJ Watt has been a real joy to watch, and most of me hopes he stays in Pittsburgh forever. But part of me thinks the right thing for the Steelers to do as a franchise is to trade him.
The Steelers need to get back into the business of winning championships, and this would be a prudent business decision to move things in that direction.
