J.J. Watt's Mentorship Paying Dividends

Arizona Cardinals DE J.J. Watt and his leadership has seen growth along the defensive line.

Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt has quite the football resume. 

All-Pros. Pro Bowls. Defensive Player of the Years. Records that are forever etched in professional football history. His bust in Canton is likely already done and is simply waiting for Watt's arrival.

Yet he still has work to do, as one of the lone missing achievements is a Super Bowl ring. Watt came to Arizona to do just that, but has fallen short in both seasons. 

As a pending free agent, nobody knows the answer as to where Watt will be playing next. There's still four games left in the season, and Watt's on a mission to finish 2022 as strong as he can. 

His development over the years from superstar to mentor hasn't come easy, as Watt detailed that journey in the latest installment of HBO's Hard Knocks in-season series that follows the Cardinals. 

Part of the episode follows Watt and how he's taken guys such as Zach Allen and Cameron Thomas under his wing. 

On Thursday, reporters met with defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and touched on that very subject.

"J.J.'s impact on those kids have been huge. The stuff you guys don't see in the meeting rooms, outside of practice, I mean he spends time with those guys. He's open and willing to spend time with young guys, whoever it is, he's never saying no to those guys. He has so much to give and so much to share from his experience of as a rookie, not being great early on," said Joseph, who was with the Houston Texans from 2011-13 as a defensive backs coach.

"I was there with him. His first month and a half of being a pro wasn't good. But he worked his way into being J.J. Watt. You know, he wasn't always J.J. Watt. He was a guy getting knocked on the ground, he's always on the ground. He was playing too fast sometimes. But he became a great player about Week 18 in the playoffs against the Bengals … He made some plays in that game that I've never seen made by a d-lineman, and from there he became J.J. Watt, but his first year was a struggle. I mean, he was barely a starter. 

"So it's a great story about working your way up and you don't have to be a finished product as a rookie first-round pick, right? If you give guys time and you coach them up, you know, they can be a Watt in four or five years. But he has been a great example for our guys on defense [and for] everyone."

Watt currently leads the team in sacks with 6.5, his most since 2018 when he garnered 16. 

Second behind him is Allen with 5.5, who is also in a contract year. Thomas has played just 18% of defensive snaps in his rookie season but is one of six Cardinals with multiple sacks. 

Watt's two understudies in Allen/Thomas have garnered some comparisons to him, so it's rather fitting both have molded some of their style after the future Hall of Fame edge player. 

"That's a natural comparison with Zach [Allen], the body types, and even with Cam [Thomas] wearing his number in college it was obvious that he was a hero of Cam's. Cam's first day on the job, it was funny to watch him just walk around J.J. and stare at him. He wouldn't say anything to him, but he would just stare at him. It was funny to watch that but no, Cam's got those traits," Joseph said. 

"He's a young guy, he's eager to learn. Obviously Zach's having a hell of a year. He's out for a week or two maybe, but he's having a hell of a year. But yeah, J.J.'s impact, it's critical on those young guys."

Things haven't gone like the Cardinals wanted nor expected. Watt, in the last year of his deal, has a future that hasn't been decided on. 

Yet his leadership and mentorship on others across the board will be felt with or without his presence on the roster after this season. 

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