Reunion with little brother was secondary reason for Derek Watt signing with Steelers

When Derek Watt hit free agency for the first time last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers were among a handful of teams to show interest in the 27-year-old fullback.

He didn’t know how much interest until the 48-hour legal tampering period was over. It turns out his agents spared his nerves by intentionally devaluing the potential reunion of Derek with younger brother T.J. on the Steelers.

“The day I ended up getting the offer and choosing the Steelers, they revealed to me they were downplaying it because they knew how excited I would be for that opportunity to play with T.J. and for such a great organization,” Derek Watt said Thursday on a conference call with Steelers beat reporters.

“(My agent) revealed that, all along, they were one of the teams that wanted you bad.”

How bad? The Steelers offered Watt a three-year contract, which was a year longer than the deals given to fellow free-agent signees Eric Ebron and Stefen Wisniewski.

Watt was quick to sign a deal that totals $9.75 million, a hefty sum for a fullback and specials teams player.

In addition to the money, Watt was attracted to the Steelers because of the organization’s culture and tradition.

“It’s a hard-working, blue-collar, tough-nosed organization,” he said. “That kind of fits into the way I was raised and the way I try to play the game.”

Getting to play on the same team as his younger brother — T.J. is two years younger, at 25 — was a bonus.

“There’s a tremendous opportunity there and we’ve had the privilege to play together in high school, college and now the NFL,” he said. “There’s so much more that goes into it than that. … We’re extremely excited, but it’s not the main reason. There were so many positives.”

What the Steelers are getting in Watt is a multi-dimensional player who never missed a game in four seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. At 6-foot-2, 234 pounds, he is the prototypical NFL fullback in that the first item on his job description is blocking for others. In 552 career snaps on offense, Watt totaled just 29 touches.

Watt also is a core special teams player who logged 78% of the snaps on coverage and return units last season. He replaces Roosevelt Nix on offense and top special teams tackler Tyler Matakevich.

“As a fullback in the NFL, you better be a core special teams guy. You’ve gotta know your role,” Watt said. “You don’t get those reps in games as often. You’re not on the field as much as other positions. That’s the nature of the sport.”

To increase his playing time, Watt also is raising his hand to play tight end. He took a few snaps last year against Miami when injuries left the Chargers short-handed at the position. The Steelers signed Ebron to serve as a 1-2 punch with starter Vance McDonald, but Watt said he can line up outside in a pinch.

“I feel capable whether it’s route running, as a receiver catching the ball,” he said. “I completely trust myself and would be willing to take on more that role of a wing tight end, for sure. Whatever the coaches have in mind on offense and special teams, I’m going to give everything I’ve got.”

T.J. and Derek have spent the offseason working out with older brother J.J. at his home in their native Wisconsin. The brothers always train together after the season ends. This year, it has brought the family even closer. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Watts discontinued their workouts with other Wisconsin alums. They relocated to a pool barn that J.J. built on his property.

“He doesn’t have a bad weight room,” Derek Watt said. “Then, we go do our running and conditioning outside on the grass and get everything done that way. I wouldn’t say it’s much of a downgrade going over there to work out. We’ve kept things entertaining.”