It’s the age-old debate, T.J. Watt versus Myles Garrett. Steelers fans say Watt, Browns fans say Garrett, you know the drill. Regardless, they’re both top-shelf players and among the best pass rushers in football.
But Garrett wins out when it comes to being just a freak athlete. That’s not to take away from Watt, whose athleticism is always underrated and underappreciated, but some of Garrett’s numbers are just…freaky. Ben Fennell is the latest to point it out, noting the incredible get-off Garrett has that makes him such a force off the ball.
Earlier Monday, Fennell tweeted that Garrett led the NFL in average “get-off,” the time it takes for him to fire out of his stance and had one rush in Sunday’s 24-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals that clocked 0.44 seconds.
Fennell didn’t list what Garrett’s get-off time was in yesterday’s drubbing of Joe Burrow and the Bengals but safe to say, it was very good. Enough to lead through the weekend with just tonight’s Monday night matchup to go. Garrett had a big day in Sunday’s opener, finishing with four quarterback hits and a sack as Burrow was held to 82 passing yards while completing well under half his passes.
Per Pro Football Focus’ grades, Garrett was the fifth-ranked EDGE rusher overall and fifth as a pure pass rusher. Taking first place in both categories was Watt, who filled up the stat sheet with three sacks and a forced fumble. He’ll have the advantage of facing Browns’ rookie right tackle Dawand Jones this weekend, filling in for the injured Jack Conklin, who will miss the rest of the year.
On the other side of the ledger, the Steelers will have their hands full with Garrett. If RT Chukwuma Okorafor plays, Dan Moore Jr. should continue to start and see most of the action. But the Browns have gotten increasingly creative with Garrett’s alignment, especially under new DC Jim Schwartz, and they’re willing to rush him along the interior, too. Per PFF, Garrett only lined up as a RDE/ROLB on 25 of his 45 snaps yesterday. Another 14 of them came on the left side while four came as an off-ball linebacker, including this rush where Garrett was doing crossovers pre-snap. Here, he rushed over center and beat him to his edge for the pressure that led to a Browns sack.
Moore, or whoever starts at left tackle, may see Garrett the most. But don’t expect it to be an exclusive matchup. Cleveland has upgraded its pass rush and defensive line this season, turning a weakness into a strength. They signed Dalvin Tomlinson in free agency to beef up the interior while adding Ogbonnia Okoronkwo from Houston. Combined, they hit Burrow 10 times and sacked him twice as the Bengals’ offense was wholly ineffective throughout the day.
Yesterday, Steelers QB Kenny Pickett was sacked five times. Some of that was coverage-related and some of that was due to Pickett’s own mistakes but the Steelers had their hands full with a talented 49ers front. That won’t change Monday night when they host the Browns. This line, and this offense, needs to come up with different results. Or else they’ll fall to 0-2 and be in a hole to start the season.
