The debate among fans, analysts, and experts over T.J. Watt and Myles Garret may not be at LeBron vs. Jordan levels, but it’s as close to the AFC North’s version of the conversation. Of course, with the rivalry aspect between Pittsburgh Steelers fans and Cleveland Browns fans, there are too many cherry-picked stats for either fanbase to lean on to consider conceding the argument.
With both teams facing off for the first time in the 2025 campaign, it’s no surprise the debate is coming back to the forefront ahead of Sunday’s matchup.
While fans and analysts can’t come to a consensus on which pass rusher is better, who better to ask than someone who has actually played with both star edge defenders? New Steelers safety Juan Thornhill is one of the few players to have played for both franchises over the past decade.
Ex-Brown turned Pittsburgh Steeler Juan Thornhill has the best view to settle Watt-Garrett debate
On this week’s episode of Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, Thornhill gave his position on the debate between the AFC North’s most feared defenders.
“I’m not going to lie to you, Myles is a hell of a player. He’s a guy who’s going to be tough to stop,” Thornhill said. “Then same on the other side. T.J. is just like a guy you gotta stay away from. He’s always in the right spot at the right time.”
“I’m going with T.J.”
Of course, Heyward didn’t let Thornhill ride the fence, and being a current teammate of Watt’s doesn’t exactly eliminate Thornhill’s bias. But it’s not as though he didn’t take an objective stance to begin with.
Ahead of the season, I looked at why Garrett typically gets the nod in the national media landscape over Watt. Garrett has proven to be a more consistent player statistically, but to Thornhill’s point, it’s Watt who comes up with the game-changing plays when Pittsburgh needs them most. Not every time, of course, but plenty often enough.
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Thornhill mentioned that both players have a rivalry between each other as professionals that exists beyond the franchise rivalry they happen to be involved in. Well, in head-to-head competition, that is another area that Watt technically wins on.
Watt has played 14 games against the Browns in his career, and he has 17 sacks total against Cleveland. On the flip side, Garrett has just 13 in his 14 games against Pittsburgh. For what it’s worth, ask any fan plugged into the AFC North which franchise has had better offensive line play over the past decade, and most would point to Cleveland. Yet, it’s Watt who has had more statistical success in the rivalry.
This Sunday offers another opportunity for the rivalry to progress, and given the makeup of both offenses, whichever elite edge player makes the most splash plays could decide the outcome. History suggests that it will be Watt, as it often has been since both players came into the league in 2017.