Patrick Graham is already finding ways to unleash T.J. Watt

T.J. Watt has spent his entire NFL career making life difficult for opposing offenses. Patrick Graham‘s job is figuring out how to make defending Watt even more difficult.

The new Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator provided an early glimpse of that philosophy in Sunday’s 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, moving Watt around the formation, rotating his outside linebackers and trusting Pittsburgh’s defensive front to create pressure without relying heavily on the blitz.

The results were difficult to argue with.

Watt produced two sacks, multiple tackles for loss and an interception returned for a touchdown during a game-changing sequence. Head coach Mike McCarthy called him the most impactful player in the game. Graham’s assessment of Watt’s interception was a little simpler.

“For him, he’s different,” Graham said. “That’s why I love it at this level, you get to coach the dudes.”

Moving Watt isn’t a gimmick

One noticeable wrinkle against Atlanta was Watt spending more time on the right side of Pittsburgh’s defense. Graham doesn’t appear interested in making Watt’s alignment a bigger story than it needs to be. His objective is to create favorable situations for his players, and Watt has given him the freedom to do that.

“The guy wants to win,” Graham said. “Thankfully, right now, as we say, ‘Move to right, move to left.’ I’m just appreciative that he’s open to how we’re doing things.”

Graham joked that perhaps Watt will line up in the middle next. The larger point, however, was that Pittsburgh isn’t interested in making its premier pass rusher predictable.

“It’s my job to put him in the right spot and my job to call the defense,” Graham added. “He just goes out there and plays.”

That willingness creates another variable for an offense already forced to account for Watt on every snap.

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Steelers didn’t need to blitz to create problems

Pittsburgh’s defensive approach against Atlanta was also notable for what Graham didn’t do. The Steelers didn’t blitz often. Instead, Graham was comfortable allowing his defensive front to generate pressure while keeping additional defenders in coverage.

Asked about the advantage of creating pressure without blitzing, Graham reduced the explanation to one word: “Math… You have more people in coverage,” he added.

Don’t interpret that as Graham abandoning Pittsburgh’s aggressive defensive tradition. He made it clear that the Steelers could blitz considerably more depending on the opponent.

“One game we might have blitz zero 20 times in a game,” Graham said. “The next week might not blitz one time. We might drop eight 20 times. I can’t tell you.”

That unpredictability appears central to Graham’s philosophy. Rather than defining his defense by how frequently it blitzes or whether it plays man or zone, he wants the weekly game plan to reflect the best way to attack that particular opponent.

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Graham defines Steelers defense by how it plays

Atlanta also saw Pittsburgh play predominantly zone coverage, something that could change substantially from one opponent to the next.

Graham said he has personnel capable of playing both man and zone and noted that modern coverage structures aren’t always as simple as placing them into one category. A defense that appears to be playing zone can still incorporate man principles elsewhere on the field.

His larger concern is making sure his players can operate quickly and aggressively. “If it’s physical, if we’re running around, attacking the ball, I think everybody in this town would appreciate that because that’s Steeler football in my opinion, part of the identity of Steeler football, defensive football,”

Graham said. “The play style. How we play, more than what we do, is important to me.”

That philosophy showed up throughout Sunday’s win.

Pittsburgh’s linebackers closed space in the middle of the field. The secondary contributed against the run and Jaquan Brisker intercepted a pass. Cam Heyward knocked down three passes at the line of scrimmage, Payton Wilson added 12 tackles, and Watt produced the game’s biggest defensive play with his pick six.

Notably, the Steelers didn’t need a massive blitz package to create those results.

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Keeping Watt and Highsmith fresh for when it matters

There was another noticeable change involving Pittsburgh’s outside linebackers: rotation.

McCarthy said Watt was projected to play approximately 40 snaps against Atlanta. Rather than simply leaving Watt and Alex Highsmith on the field for as many snaps as possible, the Steelers are considering how many quality pass-rush opportunities their edge defenders receive and, more importantly, when they receive them.

“When the game is on the line or in important parts of the game, you want those guys to be fresh and ready to go,” McCarthy said.

Sunday provided an immediate example of the potential payoff.

Watt’s biggest sequence came later in the game, and Graham noticed the energy Pittsburgh’s outside linebackers still possessed in the fourth quarter.

“They seem pretty fresh,” Graham said. “For those guys to play like they did in the fourth quarter was impressive. We’ll keep riding with it.”

That was largely due to depth, with newly extended linebacker Nick Herbig often joining Watt and Highsmith in specific packages while second-year edge rusher Jack Sawyer added to the mix: that rotation requires trust to operate efficiently.

Graham said Pittsburgh’s outside linebackers have developed a strong rapport and confidence in one another, making it easier to cycle players onto the field without feeling as though the defense is sacrificing production.

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Graham wants to weaponize the entire defense

Watt isn’t the only player Graham intends to move around. Herbig saw work off the ball, over the middle and on the edge against Atlanta. Graham pointed toward Herbig’s athleticism and intelligence as reasons Pittsburgh can ask him to handle several responsibilities.

He described the process from a play-caller’s perspective as “weaponizing a player.”

“I look at the field as a grid,” Graham said. “I’m trying to figure out how to weaponize these guys, try to get them more involved.”

That may ultimately be the defining feature of Graham’s Steelers defense.

Watt doesn’t have to remain on one side. Herbig doesn’t have to remain at one position. Pittsburgh doesn’t have to blitz simply because that’s what an opponent expects from the Steelers, nor does Graham have to commit to man or zone coverage as the permanent identity of his defense.

The scheme can change. What Graham doesn’t want changing is the way Pittsburgh plays: physical, fast and attacking the football.

Week 1 provided a promising first look at what happens when those ideas come together.