After earning Defensive Player of the Year honors, Pro Football Focus has Steelers T.J. Watt higher than Myles Garrett on a list of edge rusher rankings.
Everybody seems to have an opinion on this topic, but this isn’t a debate that is going away anytime soon. T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett were both selected on the same day back in the 2017 NFL Draft. Garrett was considered a generational prospect, while Watt was thought of as a high-upside pick with an injury history.
Though most would have never thought these players selected by the Browns and the Steelers 29 picks apart in the first round would be this close, Watt might have finally surpassed Garrett in the eyes of the general NFL media thanks to a record-breaking season in 2021.
Last year, Watt tied Michael Strahan’s sack record despite missing multiple games (and leaving other contests early) due to nagging injuries. Regardless of the action he missed, the three-time First-Team All-Pro edge defender managed to be more productive than Garrett again last year.
Recently, Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus comprised his NFL edge defender tiers and rankings for the upcoming 2022 season. Monson had Watt as his top-ranked edge defender.
This is interesting considering that Garrett earned a higher PFF grade in 2021 and was charted with a better pass-rush win rate. Still, there are plenty of factors that should be considered here (including Watt’s injuries), and it’s hard to argue against having T.J. top this list.
Monson explains some of his reasoning behind this decision:
"Few NFL arguments are as explosive as the one surrounding who the better edge rusher is: T.J. Watt or Myles Garrett. Watt is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, but Garrett posted the better PFF grade and pressure rate and had several other stats go in his favor last season. Ultimately, both players are phenomenal and have been so for several years now, but Watt gets the top spot on the rankings simply for maintaining his peak for a longer run of games."
Monson had Garrett neck and neck with Watt and ultimately placed the Browns All-Pro defenders second on this list behind only Watt. Just below these two and still in the top tier were Khalil Mack, Micah Parsons, Joey Bosa, Maxx Crosby, and Nick Bosa. Monson has the talent dropping into another tier after these seven potential Defensive Player of the Year candidates.
Where should the Steelers star rank on this list?
It’s been constant jousting for position for these two generational edge defenders. Both Watt and Garrett are off to remarkable starts to their careers and each player will have a chance to see their bust in Canton one day. However, if we are strictly looking at who should be listed as the better player heading into this year, I agree that it should be Watt.
I always try to be as objective as possible when evaluating talent, and I know that my preferences and biases can sneak in. However, I genuinely believe that Watt took another step ahead of Garrett last year while dealing with injuries.
Meanwhile, I don’t think Garrett did much to improve from the 2020 season to his performance in 2021 last year. Strictly as a pass rusher, you could argue that Garrett is the better player of the two. However, I think Watt has at least been a comparable pass rusher while being a much better run defender.
The biggest difference between the two is playmaking ability. In five seasons, Garrett has earned 58.5 sacks, 59 tackles for a loss, 116 quarterback hits, 9 pass defenses, and 11 forced fumbles, according to Pro Football Reference. During that same span, Watt has collected 72.0 sacks, 80 tackles for a loss, 150 quarterback hits, 32 pass defenses, and 22 forced fumbles — many of which changed the outcome of the game.
I think the Steelers and Browns both got great players in the 2017 NFL Draft, but this is a debate that isn’t going away anytime soon. It’s nice to see some members of the NFL media coming to Watt’s defense.