Steelers get first look at $156 million man, Texans QB Deshaun Watson

Chris Adamski
Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020 5:58 p.m. | Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020 5:58 p.m.

Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson will face the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time in his career when the Texans visit Heinz Field on Sunday.

Deshaun Watson is in his fourth NFL season, and earlier this month, he signed the second-biggest contract in league history.

Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will face him for the first time.

The Steelers are one of eight teams Watson has not faced since he was a first-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2017. The Steelers and Texans met on Christmas Day that year, but Watson suffered an ACL injury a month prior and did not play.

Minkah Fitzpatrick, whose Steelers fave the Texans’ Deshaun Watson on Sunday, on the QB he faced twice in college Bama vs. Clemson pic.twitter.com/e3GJjLRK9i

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) September 24, 2020

Watson made the AFC Pro Bowl roster each of the past two seasons, leading Houston to the AFC South title in 2018 and ‘19. He signed a four-year, $156 million contract extension with Houston three weeks ago. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called facing Watson “a ridiculous challenge.”

“Not only in terms of his quarterbacking ability and his arm talent but his ability to improvise, his ability to extend plays, his leadership skills,” Tomlin said. “He’s battle-tested.”

Tomlin was referring to not onlyWatson’s NFL resume — he accounted for 64 touchdowns and 8,981 yards of offense the past two seasons — but also in college, where Watson was a star. Watson’s Clemson Tigers faced Alabama in two consecutive national championship games after the 2015 and ‘16 seasons.

Among the many future NFL players on the Crimson Tide defense Watson torched for a combined 825 passing yards, 116 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in those two title games was safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

“He can make all the throws across the field. He’s accurate. He can use his feet. He can extend plays. He can break tackles in the backfield,” said Fitzpatrick, who is in his second season with the Steelers. “Just crazy stuff that not many quarterbacks can do across the league, maybe one or two other guys can do across the league.”

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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.