Myles Garrett has heard about the ongoing debate between himself and T.J. Watt. Neither side, Browns or Steelers’ fans, will budge, and both sides will say their guy is the better player.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show Tuesday, Garrett had the chance to weigh in on the discussion. He declined, taking the high road and giving Watt his flowers.
“I’ve definitely heard the debate,” Garrett told the show. “Now whether I care, not really. I think T.J.’s a hell of a player. And he’s fun to watch. I have a lot of respect for defensive guys. I don’t care if he’s in my division or not.”
No Steelers’ fan is going to feel warm and fuzzy about Garrett because of those comments but it’s nice to see him tip his cap to the opposition. It’s not the first time he’s done it this year. Through the first nine weeks of the season, Garrett and Watt are having similar strong campaigns. Both have 9.5 sacks, 18 QB hits, and eight tackles for a loss. Garrett holds the edge with four forced fumbles to Watt’s two and advanced metrics, if you’re into that kind of thing, give Garrett the favor.
No matter who you choose, they’re both generational players. Garrett is a freak show athlete who is almost impossible to block one-on-one. Watt also requires double and triple-teams with a fantastic combination of athleticism, hand usage, and an off-the-charts football IQ.
The two will be on the same field at least one more time this season when the Steelers and Browns play their seasonal rematch in Week 11. While Garrett was hard to block in the first matchup, it was Watt making the headline plays with a sack and fumble recovery returned for a touchdown as Pittsburgh’s defense made clutch plays to beat Cleveland 26-22.
Garrett told McAfee he gets extra motivation when he’s inside stadiums with Watt, wanting to be the better player of the day.
“Our teams have history…us going at each other, it’s nothing personal. But we both know the other is on the opposite side and want to excel when we matchup.”
Assuming both stay healthy, Watt and Garrett will be two of the top DPOY candidates when award season comes around. Watt won it in 2021 while Garrett has yet to take home the hardware, finishing fifth in the voting last season as San Francisco’s Nick Bosa came out on top. Dallas’ Micah Parsons will also be in the mix to take home the trophy.
Check out the entire interview below.
