T.J. Watt has been a stalwart in the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive unit for years. However, fans often questioned why T.J. Watt wasn’t moved around more often in the defensive schemes. Because it never affected his efficiency, many assumed it was simply a coaching decision under Mike Tomlin, but Watt recently revealed there was more to the story.

“I think in the past it was a little bit more of me being stubborn,” said Watt to reporters on Thursday.

T.J. Watt’s comments aren’t random. This was his honest confession, while revealing the changes he and his teammates are making under the new coaching setup at the Pittsburgh Steelers. After spending 19 seasons with the Steelers, Mike Tomlin stepped down from his duties ahead of the 2026 season. As a replacement, Mike McCarthy was hired as the new head coach.

There was also a change in the defensive unit, as Patrick Graham replaced Teryl Austin as the new coordinator. Due to this, the Steelers have deployed new formations and tactics for their players. Watt has been around the Pittsburgh setup since 2017, when they drafted him as the 30th overall pick. But over the years, he has somewhat used a similar approach in his games, but with a new coaching unit, Watt has admitted that things will slightly look different for him.

“I think this new system allows a lot of this built in. So, I really can’t say no. I have to move with it. A lot of us are interchanging the parts,” said Watt. “You’re not just learning your position. You kind of have to learn the whole defensive front structure. We all basically interchange when we do different things. So, I think you’re going to see a lot more movement out of not just me, but the whole front.”

T.J. Watt lined up almost exclusively as the left outside linebacker, rushing against the opponent’s right tackle. As a result, offenses would know where he’ll be and can plan for him with double teams, tight-end help, and even chip blocks from running backs. But under the coaching unit, the 31-year-old linebacker wants to overcome this rigidity in his playing style.

Instead of always rushing from the same edge, Watt could line up on either side and rush from different alignments. Not just that, he could also move around before the snap and create confusion for offensive lines. For the Steelers, the goal isn’t to change who Watt is as a player. It’s to make offenses spend more time figuring out where he’ll attack from.

Micah Parsons stands as the ultimate example of this archetype. Rather than sticking to one edge, he is used to moving around and confusing oppositions. Even Maxx Crosby, who played under Patrick Graham from 2022-2025 at the Raiders, became famous for his extreme high-volume alignment shifting. Playing in this system helped Crosby make three consecutive Pro Bowls.

Playing under Tomlin, Watt equalled the sack record set by Michael Strahan. Although it was broken by Myles Garrett last season, he has been immensely successful in his career. While the tweak the new coaching unit suggested does look promising on paper, only time will tell how effective it can be in a real NFL game scenario.

T.J. Watt highlights difference between Mike Tomlin and Mike McCarthy’s coaching style

Mike Tomlin coached the Pittsburgh Steelers for 19 years. Yet, he won the Lombardi Trophy (Super Bowl XLIII) only once with them. So, considering that, the expectations around Mike McCarthy are high to lead the Steelers back to the Super Bowl.

T.J. Watt, who has played his NFL career only under Tomlin, has found McCarthy’s coaching technique quite different. During the aforementioned media scrum, the veteran LB pointed out the changes under the new coach.

“I’m not going to lie to you,” said Watt. “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 and coaches. There’s been a lot of really good work. As you guys can see, practices are a little bit different around here.  You don’t see benches out here anymore. It’s just interesting. There are two ways it’s going to catch. There’s many different ways to do things. Things much different than what I’ve been used to over the last years. It’s good. Change is good for me.”

Despite his age when he first got into coaching, Tomlin was famously old-school. He operated largely on game-flow, motivation, and emotional momentum. He famously dismissed heavy statistical tracking, coining the phrase “stats are often for losers”. Meanwhile, McCarthy heavily integrates analytical data and AI tracking into his daily assessment protocols.

In his debut season, McCarthy established the largest coaching staff in Steelers history, which includes a dedicated game-management specialist and a vastly expanded data analytics department to optimize execution. Could these changes lead to an end of the Steelers’ 17-year Super Bowl drought? It will be interesting to see.