T.J. Watt is closing in on the Steelers’ franchise record for most career sacks, a record Watt should break this season.
Watt has 72 sacks so far in his NFL career, and as noted by the Steelers’ website, that puts him just nine sacks away from breaking James Harrison’s franchise record of 80.5 sacks as a Steeler.
Although the NFL only began recording sacks as an official statistic for defensive players in 1982, Pro-Football-Reference.com has sack data going back to the 1960s, and that data shows the two Steelers closest behind Harrison both played before sacks were an official statistic: L.C. Greenwood retired with 78 sacks, while Mean Joe Greene retired with 77.5. Both Greenwood and Greene played for the Steelers from 1969 to 1981.
In fourth place in Steelers history is Jason Gildon, with 77 sacks, and then Watt with 72.
Watt has led the NFL in sacks two years in a row, with 22.5 last year and 15 the year before, so he’s highly likely to get the nine sacks he needs to become the Steelers’ all-time leader.