Just because Myles Garrett was traded out of the AFC North doesn't mean Pittsburgh Steelers fans aren't going to keep hearing about him. For the better part of the last nine years, Garrett and T.J. Watt have been compared to each other. Sadly, Garrett pulled away in the race versus his 2017 draftmate over the past few seasons.
But the praise for the superstar edge rusher was just taken to another level.
On Tuesday, Hall of Fame offensive lineman and former long-time Cleveland Brown, Joe Thomas, joined 92.3 The Fan to discuss Todd Monken's biggest challenge as the Browns' new head coach in 2026.
Thomas pointed to the defense, noting that not only did Cleveland lose the best defender in the NFL to the Los Angeles Rams in the blockbuster trade, but they lost the greatest defender in the history of the NFL.
"The defense. You lost the greatest defensive player in the history of football. You got a new DC, a lot of young talented players. On offense they're gonna be better than they were last year. The defense because they were so good the last several years, the expectations are higher."
We know Garrett is great, and quite frankly, he'll be in the conversation for this title when it's all said and done... but this is a sore topic of discussion for Steelers fans.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans won't take kindly to Joe Thomas' latest Myles Garrett comments
Steelers fans who grew up watching the Steel Curtain defenses of the 1970s aren't going to be thrilled about the idea of a defensive player who was with a bad team for nine years from 2017 to 2025 being talked about as the greatest defender in NFL history.
'Mean' Joe Greene would like a word.
The Steelers are known for not only having some of the greatest defenses in NFL history, but also some of the best individual players to ever suit up on that side of the football.
And not just Greene; Jack Lambert, Troy Polamalu, Rod Woodson, and Jack Ham are considered among the greatest to ever play their respective positions, and they dominated the league in their primes.
The biggest knock against Garrett at the moment is his team's lack of playoff success. He has just one postseason win in nine years with the Browns. Admittedly, it's not fair to judge a single defender by this metric when he's been at the mercy of bad quarterback play and an incompetent organization.
Garrett's fortunes could shift this season, now that he's on the LA Rams. The Rams were perhaps just a few plays away from going to the Super Bowl last season, and they probably would have crushed the New England Patriots had they defeated the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
Like it or not, Garrett is one-of-one as a player, and the cliche label of 'generational talent' is more than fitting for what he's done in the NFL.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans won't like what Joe Thomas recently had to say, but when it's all said and done, he might not be wrong about Myles Garrett.
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