The Arizona Cardinals did not get much statistically from defensive lineman J.J. Watt last season. In seven games, he produced 16 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble. He also had 10 quarterback hits.
That isn’t exactly what you hope to see from a player they signed to a $28 million contract.
Of course, he was lost for half the season when he completely obliterated his shoulder. He has recovered and made it back to play in the Cardinals’ playoff loss.
When he is on the field, though, he still has it, even if he didn’t have much statistically to show for it.
Pro Football Focus included Watt in their interior defender tiers and rankings. He lands in the category of “nearing end of career, but still impactful.”
Watt will go down as one of the greatest “what-ifs” of this generation of NFL players. A dominant four-year stretch from 2012 to 2015 that included three Defensive Player of the Year trophies was followed by fewer than 500 defensive snaps in three of the next four seasons. Watt failed to reach that threshold again last year with the Cardinals.
When healthy, he’s still one of the most difficult defensive linemen in the league to block. Watt’s 18.3% pass-rush win rate ranked fifth among all interior defensive linemen with at least 100 pass-rushing snaps prior to his injury in 2021.
The Cardinals’ defense was not able to sustain its early-season dominance after Watt’s shoulder injury. That is no coincidence.
A healthy Watt will elevate the Cardinals’ play on the defensive interior. Ideally, they will get a full season out of him and a season full of disruption and impact.
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