Early Odds Favor T.J. Watt to Win NFL Defensive Player of the Year

Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt has been on a tear through three games, recording 10 tackles (7 solos), three sacks, seven quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and one pass defended.

Every sportsbook has Watt as the early favorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Sports Betting Dime has Watt at +325, ahead of Aidan Hutchinson (+350), Micah Parsons (+1100), Maxx Crosby (+1400), Myles Garrett (+1500), and Nick Bosa (+1500)

Watt took over in the Steelers’ Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He had one sack but two strip sacks were negated due to penalties. An official admitted that he got it wrong on one of the penalties, the play where Watt timed the snap perfectly. Watt’s NFL DPOY odds went from +700 to +420, making him the new favorite after Week 1.

Hutchinson recorded a whopping 4.5 sacks against the Buccaneers in Week 2, bringing his season total to 5.5 after just two games. BetMGM moved Hutchinson to their NFL DPOY favorite after the performance, but Watt retook the No. 1 spot after Week 3.

Pittsburgh Steelers outside T.J. Watt during a game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 22, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

Tony Romo gave T.J. Watt a ringing endorsement during this past Sunday’s broadcast by calling him the modern day Lawrence Taylor. Taylor, Aaron Donald and Watt’s brother, J.J., are the only players to ever win DPOY three times.

J.J. Watt praised his brother T.J. during the NFL on CBS pregame show. He believes he’ll shatter all of his records.

“If he stays healthy, he’s gonna surpass every single record I’ve ever set… Kid’s incredible,” J.J. Watt said.

T.J. is already at 99.5 career sacks. J.J. finished his career with 114.5.

With another NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, Watt would become the second Steelers player in franchise history to win DPOY twice, joining legend Joe Greene (1972, 1974). Watt won DPOY in 2021 when he tied the NFL single-season sack record with 22.5.

Injuries derailed his 2022 campaign, but Watt got edged out by Myles Garrett for the DPOY award in 2023. Many would argue that Watt was snubbed given that he had better stats than Garrett in almost every major defensive statistic category.