T.J. Watt Receives High Praise From Myles Garrett

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt received praise from one of his biggest rivals — none other than Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.

Garrett admitted during an interview with Cleveland media members that he watches tape on Watt to help improve his game.

“Maxx (Crosby), Nick (Bosa), Micah (Parsons), Trey (Hendrickson), and T.J.,” Garrett said when asked about who he watched this offseason.

There’s a constant debate, especially between the two fanbases, on who’s better between Watt and Garrett.

Watt wrote on X, “Nothing I’m not used to” when Garrett won NFL Defensive Player of the Year over him this past year. So there’s definitely a rivalry between the two, but there is mutual respect.

“T.J. finds a way to win. He’s a dog. He always has those second-effort plays. He can swim inside, outside, he’s strong, he’s fast,” Garrett said. “He doesn’t look as strong as he is, but the way he long-arm guys, the way he finds a way to fight through a double or single, it’s really impressive.”

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt before practice on July 26, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

Watt, who won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2021, was the most statistically dominant defensive player in the NFL last season. Watt had 19 sacks last season and set a modern NFL record as the first player to lead the league in sacks for a third time since it became an official statistic back in the early 1980s. Deacon Jones of the Los Angeles Rams unofficially led the league in sacks five times in the 1960s. Watt also led the NFL in sacks in 2020 and 2021, when he tied the all-time single-season sack records, drawing even with Michael Strahan’s mark of 22.5.

But Garrett won in metrics like Pass Rush Win Rate and Pressure Rate while being double-teamed at a higher rate. That led to Garrett securing his first Defensive Player of the Year Award over Watt. For Pro Football Focus’ metrics, Pass Rush Win Rate is where Garrett soared above the league. Garrett was graded as having a 27.3% win rate, the highest in the league. He was also assigned 60 hurries compared to 47 for Watt.

In PFF’s annual position rankings for edge rushers, the polarizing analytics outlet ranked Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett as the No. 1 edge rusher in the NFL. T.J. Watt came in at No. 4, behind Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons. In PFF’s top 50 players in the NFL list, Garrett was ranked No. 2, behind only Patrick Mahomes.

“Some players generate more pressure than T.J. Watt or beat their blocker with greater frequency, but nobody has a better knack for making a big play at the right time. Watt led the league in sacks despite ranking 25th in pass-rush win rate, and we have enough evidence by now to see it is a repeatable skill. On top of the sacks, Watt also notched four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, an interception and a defensive touchdown. There may not be a better playmaker on the defensive side of the ball,” Sam Monson of PFF wrote.

In CBS Sports’ recent installment of the top 20 players at each position in the NFL, Watt was tabbed as the league’s best edge rusher. Watt edged out Garrett.

“Myles Garrett has technically been steadier over the last half decade, if only because an injury limited Watt to 10 games in 2022. In every other way, though, No. 90 on the Steelers has been the standard-setter for edge rushing, and it’s not even particularly close,” Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports wrote. “Clearing 13 sacks in each of his last five healthy seasons, with close to 30 forced fumbles and 200 quarterback hits in his vaunted career, the six-time Pro Bowler is the heart of Pittsburgh’s old-school program, pairing elite get-off with jarring physicality. If he’s on the field, Watt is easily the most feared player at his position.”