Pass rush called Steelers' 'best position group' for 2022 NFL season

"Defense wins championships" is an adage that can still ring true in the modern NFL even though offensive stars routinely earn Most Valuable Player honors these days. 

All-Pro edge-rusher and reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt is widely considered the best overall player on the Pittsburgh Steelers heading into training camp, but it was second-year running back Najee Harris who was recently named a potential team MVP for the upcoming season. Even if Harris somehow flirts with receiving 500 touches between Week 1 and early January, though, the playoff hopes of the 2022 Steelers will probably live and die on the performances of their defense. 

In late June, NFL senior researcher Jack Andrade noted how Watt could go on to lead the league in sacks for an unprecedented third straight season and possibly reach a single-season record of 23 quarterback takedowns. Andrade added the Steelers, as a whole, could also make history by becoming the first franchise to record at least 50 team sacks across six consecutive campaigns. 

Thus, it's no surprise Football Outsiders named Pittsburgh's pass rush as its "best position group" for 2022 in an ESPN piece published on Friday. 

"It's a bit of a cheat, since the pass rush in Pittsburgh incorporates both edge-rusher linebackers like T.J. Watt and down linemen like Cameron Heyward," Football Outsiders admitted. "We list the pass rush here for the Steelers largely thanks to the brilliance of those two players. Watt and Heyward combined for 31.5 sacks, 21 hits and 61 hurries in 2021."

Football Outsiders were quick to point out, though, that having a top-tier pass rush does not guarantee complete success for a defensive unit. 

"Pittsburgh's defense was hardly dominant otherwise, finishing 27th in DVOA against the run, for example. It's likely that the pass rush will again be the key element to defensive success in 2022," FO wrote. 

One thing that went unmentioned was the addition of veteran defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, a move that could improve an already stacked group as it pertains to chasing signal-callers on Sundays.