Mike McCarthy is not pretending otherwise: TJ Watt is too important to be chased into the ground. The Steelers' plan for 2026 is already taking shape, and the number attached to it is strikingly specific — no more than 60 defensive snaps per game for one of the league's defining pass rushers. That is not a small adjustment. That is a statement of intent.
And, frankly, it is the right kind of thinking. Watt is the player offensive coordinators build protection plans around. He is the guy who forces extra attention, extra chips and extra hesitation. If the Steelers can keep him fresher across a 17-game season, then they are not just protecting a star — they are protecting their best chance of turning late-season pressure into real damage.
The logic also tells you something else: the Steelers believe they have enough edge depth to make this work. This offseason, they gave Nick Herbig a major extension, and that matters. So does the presence of Alex Highsmith and Jack Sawyer. If you are going to reduce Watt's workload, you need alternatives who can absorb snaps without turning the edge into a soft spot. Otherwise, the plan collapses the moment the rotation starts.
Why the number matters
McCarthy's point was simple enough. He is not interested in seeing Watt average 60-plus plays a game in 2026, because that is not best for Watt and not best for the defense. His argument is about freshness, not caution for caution's sake. Keep the rushers sharp, keep them available, and make sure they are at their best in the fourth quarter. That is the whole idea.
It is easy to understand why. The NFL does not reward teams that burn through elite players before the stretch run. A pass rusher can dominate for long stretches and still look a fraction less dangerous if the workload keeps piling up. The Steelers are trying to avoid that trap. They want Watt at maximum impact when games tighten, when legs get heavy, and when pass protection starts to crack.
There is, of course, a balance to strike. Watt is still Watt. He is not some role player who can simply be hidden away for convenience. If the Steelers are truly serious about limiting him, then the rotation has to be more than a theory. It has to hold up in real games, against real offenses, over real weeks of the season.
That is why the depth chart matters so much. Herbig's extension suggests the Steelers want more than a one-man solution. Highsmith can help carry the load. Sawyer may become part of the answer too. The point is not to reduce Watt because he has fallen off. The point is to keep him dangerous when it matters most.
In a league obsessed with chasing the next big thing, this is almost old-fashioned thinking: protect the asset, preserve the explosiveness, and worry less about snap totals than impact. If the Steelers get it right, they could end up with a fresher Watt and a nastier defense when it counts. If they get it wrong, they will simply discover that even great players can be overused. McCarthy clearly knows which side of that line he wants to stand on.
