Award season has been in full effect as of late and two players who have won a few are up for a major one.
Linebacker T.J. Watt is one of five finalists for the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, while cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is one of five finalists for the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The winners will be announced during the NFL Honors on Thursday, Feb. 8 in Las Vegas. The show will air on CBS, NFL Network and be streamed on Paramount+ and NFL+.
Watt was selected as the 101 Awards AFC Defensive Player of the Year for 2023, the third time in his career he won the honor. He previously won the honor in 2020 and 2021.
Watt was also named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-NFL and All-AFC teams and is a First Team Associated Press All-Pro for the fourth time in his career.
"He is a very dominant force. He is a great player," said safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. "He is a player that causes chaos in any aspect of the game.
"He is what you would call a game-wrecker, where at any moment he can turn the tide in a game."
Watt led the NFL in sacks in 2023 with 19, the second highest of his career, and it's the third time he has led the league in that category, also doing so in 2020 and 2021. He is the only player in NFL history to lead the league in sacks three times. Watt also became the seventh player since 1982 with at least 17 sacks in two of his first seven seasons.
Watt was already selected to the Pro Bowl Games for the fifth time in his career, although he won't take part because of his end of season injury, and was voted the Steelers 2023 MVP, the fourth time in his career he won that honor.
Watt broke the Steelers all-time sack record during the 2023 season when he recorded his 81.5 career sack against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 of the season, breaking the record set by James Harrison.
Watt currently holds the Steelers record with 96.5 career sacks, which is third-most in NFL history by a player in their first seven seasons in the NFL.
Porter, the Steelers second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, emerged as someone who was assigned to cover the opponent's top receivers and he didn't disappoint.
"I'm really excited about the trajectory of his career," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "Probably the most impressive component of where he is, is his mindset. He wants the fight. He wants the tough coverage. He's extremely competitive in that way. And that's a great place to build from.
"He's got growth ahead of him, but that's real solid."
Porter finished the season with 42 tackles, 32 of them solo stops, 10 passes defensed, an interception against the Baltimore Ravens, and a tackle for a loss.
Porter was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team for his outstanding performance.
Porter didn't enter the season as a starter, but his playing time gradually grew through the first six games of the season, and by Week 8 he earned a starting role when the team played the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And he never looked back.
"I think about that often," said Porter, the son of former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr. "If I played Week 1, I don't know how my body would feel. I am glad they slowed the process down for me."
