T.J. Watt Looking to Moving Around on Field Under New DC

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt anticipates he will move around a lot more this upcoming season.

The Steelers hired Patrick Graham as their new defensive coordinator, replacing longtime defensive head coach Mike Tomlin and his defensive coordinator, Teryl Austin. Watt told reporters on Wednesday that he refused to do so earlier in his career, but Graham’s system requires it, so he and the rest of the front are learning every position.

“It’s been a lot, not going to lie to you,” he said when asked about the transition after having the same coach for four seasons. “It’s been a lot of studying. A lot of learning, a lot on the iPads, also trying to see the new faces, not only players, but coaches. But it’s been a lot of really good work. As you guys can see, practices are a little bit different around here. [It’s] tougher as you get older to get the work in, but it’s all been phenomenal work.”

When Watt was drafted in 2017, Keith Butler was the Steelers’ DC under Tomlin. Butler retired in 2022, and Austin—then the secondary coach and a senior defensive assistant—was promoted to DC. Tomlin resigned after the 2025 season, and Austin was not retained under new head coach Mike McCarthy, who instead hired Graham from the Las Vegas Raiders.

McCarthy—and by extension Graham—have instituted a number of changes from the old regime.

“Well, you don’t see benches out here anymore,” said Watt. “It’s just interesting, because there’s two ways to skin a cat. There’s many different ways to do things. We’re just doing things much different than what I’m used to over the last nine years, and it’s good. Change is good for me. Hats off to [outside linebackers coach] C.J. [Ah You]. He has a lot of really good drill work for us to do. He breaks down film well. And we also just have a solid outside linebacker room to begin with. So it’s really competitive.”

The most significant change is schematic. Watt has played most of his career on the left side of the defensive front. But Graham’s system requires players to move around, and Watt is more than open to that change.

“I think in the past it was a little bit more of me being stubborn, and I think this new system, a lot of it’s built in. So I really can’t say no. I have to move with it. A lot of us are interchangeable parts. You’re not just learning your position, you kind of have to learn the whole defensive front structure, ’cause we all are basically interchangeable. We can do different things. So, I think you’re going to see a lot more movement out of not just me, but the whole front,” he said.

But Watt also had high praise for his new coach and what he brings to the room, saying that Graham has given the players a lot more time on the field to help them learn the scheme.

“I think more than anything, it’s just great energy and a great love for football,” he said. “Wanting to break it down and make it make sense to you, but also having a lot of walkthroughs has been very beneficial to us, so that we’re not just sitting in a classroom for the whole day. We’re actually getting up and having those interactions with our other teammates, where we’re looking at the big board and having that walkthrough time.”

Entering his 10th season in the NFL, Watt is the leader of a highly competitive outside linebacker room. Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig split time opposite Watt, while 2025 fourth-round pick Jack Sawyer serves as Watt’s backup. The Steelers also added KJ Henry in free agency and have third-year pro Julius Welschof on the roster.

“We’re deep,” said Watt. “Obviously, [not] just our room, but the defensive front as a whole is really deep. And we really care about each other, too. That’s the cool thing about this group, is we’re constantly trying to help each other out. We don’t care who makes the plays. We just want to be as successful as we possibly can. We want to work together and just continue to grow.”