Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Orlando Brown Jr. was asked by A.Q. Shipley on The Pat McAfee Show to weigh in on the T.J. Watt-Myles Garrett debate. While Brown gave props to both players, he called Garrett the “best defensive end of my generation.” The four-time Pro Bowler also implied that Watt is the better rush linebacker, but that Garrett is the better player.
“It’s one of those things where, when we say hardest, both of these guys are fucking legit. There’s things that T.J. does that other players can’t do, vice versa, but personally, Myles Garrett is the best defensive end of my generation,” Brown said. “This guy, what can’t he do in terms of styles of rush, affecting the run game, all of those things. Now they both have a crazy impact, now in terms of a rush linebacker, obviously T.J. Watt has that title, but in terms of a true 4-3 d-end, oh man, I mean…”
Garrett won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award over Watt, despite Watt having more sacks and Garrett registering just one sack in his final seven games of the season. Garrett received four more first-place votes and finished 25 points higher in the balloting than Watt, who finished in second place.
Dallas Cowboys EDGE and fellow DPOY nominee Micah Parsons came out in defense of Garrett as well, claiming that fans need to watch the tape. But Watt’s numbers were significantly better and for the argument that Garrett was frequently double-teamed, no one seems to think that Watt was double-teamed or held constantly. Watt does already have a Defensive Player of the Year award win, in 2021, while Garrett had never won the award before last night. With Watt being in contention every year he stays healthy, voter fatigue is certainly possible, too.
But Brown seems to think that Garrett is the tougher player to defend, and I guess that would make sense from his standpoint as he rarely has to face Watt. He was last a primary right tackle in 2019 with the Baltimore Ravens, making a switch to left tackle during the 2020 season and staying there upon being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs and signing with the Bengals ahead of the 2023 season. So while Brown is certainly entitled to his opinion, he hasn’t directly gone up against Watt much in the last four-plus seasons.
As Brown said though, both Garrett and Watt are legit. They’re among the best players in the NFL, regardless of position, and while I’m of the belief that Watt deserved to win the award last night, it’s worth appreciating how talented both of them are and just how game-changing they can be.
