Aaron Donald may not have settled the score, but he certainly put his thumb on the scale of who the best defensive player is in football now that Donald has hung up his cleats. Donald’s vote went to Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, choosing him over Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and all the other names in the mix.
Reacting to Donald’s comments, a panel for Talk of Fame Two, usually reserved for Hall of Fame discussions, debated the validity of that statement. Is Watt the best in football? The panel was mixed.
In the affirmative was football historian Jim Campbell, who nearly went a step further to float the idea that Watt was better than Donald even when both were active NFL players.
“Let me make a bit more of a case for T.J. Watt. He may well have been ‘the greatest,’ even while Aaron Donald was still active. The consistency of his play and sack totals speak for themselves—as does the Steelers record when he plays and doesn’t play.”
Simply put, when Watt doesn’t play, the Steelers don’t win. They have just one victory in a game where Watt sat out, best (or worst) highlighted after his Week 1 pec injury to open up the 2022 season. Watt missed the next seven games, Pittsburgh going 1-6 during that span. Watt was healthy for the 2023 regular season but suffered a knee injury in the finale, missing the Wild Card game, resulting in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. Without Watt, Pittsburgh’s pressure and sack rate tanks and the team’s model of winning (keep the score down, create splash defensive plays) goes up in smoke.
But not everyone agreed with Campbell’s premise. Upton Bell, son of former Steelers coach and NFL Commissioner Bert Bell, believes Watt isn’t No. 1, believing there are at least two better talents.
“With all due respect to Aaron Donald, has he seen Nick Bosa or Micah Parsons lately? Has he seen or studied Nick Bosa or Micah Parsons the last three years?… if you want to play a traditional 4-3 defense, Bosa or Garrett is your man. If you want someone for all defensive positions, that’s the Wild Card. Micah Parsons.”
Bosa has put up numbers but not at Watt’s level. Only once has he recorded at least 16 sacks in a season, something Watt has done twice. Parsons is a more interesting name due to his versatility, able to rush off the edge and play off-ball linebacker, though Watt’s sack production is still far better.
Typically, the biggest challenger in the Watt debate is Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. Columnist Tony Grossi was asked his thoughts and gave a surprising and level-headed take.
“Myles Garrett is more physically gifted and at times more imposing to offensive linemen, I believe. But in high-profile games in their careers, some of them head-to-battles, I think Watt rates a tad higher. Garrett, though, can easily surpass him while both are in their primes. It’s that close.”
Though Watt’s athleticism has continually been underrated (he had a stellar 9.92 RAS coming out of Wisconsin, a better figure than Micah Parsons or Nick Bosa), Garrett is the freakier player. But Watt has put up better production and, as Grossi notes, has taken over games in ways Garrett’s been unable to. There’s context and nuance and a long-discussion worth having over why but the numbers are the numbers.
Of the eight-person panel, five gave some level of agreement with Donald, putting Watt at the top. One gave the nod to either Bosa or Parsons, depending on the defensive front, one response was mixed and lumped Watt alongside Parsons and Garrett while one – Houston reporter John McClain – gave the edge to Garrett over Watt.
Watt wins this round though the fight will continue for the rest of his career. And probably after as Watt gets compared to the rest of the Hall of Famers he’ll one day join.
