Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt has officially fallen short in his candidacy for the 2024 AP Defensive Player of the Year Award.
The honors instead went to Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who is a first-time recipient. The 24-year-old led one of the NFL’s top defensive units while posting 45 tackles, 11 passes defended and four interceptions.
Watt finished No. 4 in the voting amongst the five finalists behind Surtain, Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals and Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns while placing ahead of Zack Baun, who turned in a career year for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 30-year-old appeared in all 17 games for the Steelers this past season, leading the league in forced fumbles with six while tying for the eighth-most sacks at 11.5.
Watt was a favorite for the award for a majority of the campaign, though his lack of a quarterback takedown in four of his five final contests more or less tanked his case.
He was still named both a second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler, though he dropped out of the latter due to an injury.
Watt won the DPOY Award back in 2021 after recording 22.5 sacks, which tied Michael Strahan’s single-season record, before finishing second to Garrett last year.
