Steelers' Star Edge Rusher TJ Watt Could Have Long Night On Monday According To Confident Browns Tight End

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off one of the worst home losses in the Mike Tomlin era last Sunday to the San Francisco 49ers. In a game that very little went right for the black and gold, former AP Defensive Player of the Year TJ Watt was one of the few bright spots. Watt, who is coming off his worst seasons as a pro in 2022, picked up in his perennial All-Pro form against the 49ers in Week 1 by recording three sacks and five quarterback pressures. Now with the Cleveland Browns coming to town Monday night, tight end David Njoku is confident in a rookie offensive tackle making his first career start to keep Watt in check. 

The Browns were dealt a tough hand during their week one victory against the Cincinnati Bengals when their starting right tackle Jack Conklin went down with a season-ending knee injury. Conklin, who has started 37 games for the Browns over the past four seasons, will be replaced by rookie fourth-round pick Dawand Jones. Njoku, who is in his seventh season for Cleveland, is very confident in the first-year player to step in against Watt. 

"This guy is built like a monster. Just his physical presence is a lot of confidence on its own and along with that, he's been very dialed in."

It appears that Njoku may be putting the cart before the horse a bit here with his analysis of Jones. Jones was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft and was initially considered a day two prospect. However, concerns about his dedication to the game and weight dropped him to the fourth round where he was selected by Cleveland. Jones started 26 games at Ohio State throughout his career, but anyone can attest that he has never faced an edge rusher that has a comparable skill set to Watt.

Steelers Trying To Get Back On Track Monday Night

The idea that Njoku believes Jones will be able to contain Watt on his own Monday night sounds delusional. Watt has statistically been the best edge rusher in the league for the past five seasons and it's hard to fathom that a rookie tackle will be able to hold his own against him. However, Njoku doubled down on his confidence for Jones during an interview earlier this week.

"He's been in the playbook and the game plan day in and day out, so I know he's going to do just fine."

Unfortunately for Jones, no film study or playbook memorizing will help him with the monumental task of containing Watt for four quarters. Watt has played the Browns 10 times in his career and has astounding numbers against their AFC North rivals. He has recorded 15 sacks, 55 tackles and has one career interception against Cleveland. 

Another potential disadvantage for Jones is his abnormal size. Jones stands at 6'8" and weighs over 370 pounds. Some may see this as a significant size advantage over the 250 pound Watt, but that just isn't the case. One of the best attributes of Watt's game is his ability to sustain a low center of gravity while rushing the passer. He has continually beat offensive tackles by being able to use his quickness and flexibility to get under tackles arms and force pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Watt's skill set should come in handy when faced with such a large opposing offensive tackle this week. 

Watt will be tasked with carrying the defense for a significant period of time this season after star edge rusher Cam Heyward was forced to undergo groin surgery this week which will sideline him for at least eight weeks. Even with Heyward out, Watt should have a field day against Jones and propel the Steelers to their first victory of the season. 

How do you think Jones will hold up against Watt? Sound off in the comments below!

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