Myles Garrett beat out T.J. Watt for the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, preventing Watt from joining an exclusive club of multi-time winners. Watt made his dissatisfaction with the outcome clear, skipping the NFL Honors Award ceremony where the winner was announced. Asked for his reaction to how Watt handled things, Garrett said Watt shouldn’t have any sour grapes.
“I’ve never complained about the trophy not being at my house and vice versa,” Garrett told reporters Tuesday via the Browns’ YouTube channel. “He shouldn’t feel two ways about it going to me. I don’t play against T.J. He doesn’t play against me.”
Garrett won the award despite Watt having better statistics. Watt finished 2023 with a league-leading 19 sacks. Garrett had 14, including just one over his final six games. Watt had more tackles, tackles for loss, quarterback hits, fumble recoveries, interceptions, and the same number of forced fumbles.
That wasn’t reflected in the voting. Garrett received more first-place votes than Watt, 23 to 19, and under the relatively new scoring system, finished with 165 points to Watt’s 140. Those who voted for Garrett cited the eye test and analytics that gave him the advantage.
Right after the winner was announced, Watt sent this tweet clearly referring to the outcome.
Watt finished as runner-up for the award in 2020, losing out to DT Aaron Donald. He finished third in 2019, behind CB Stephon Gilmore and EDGE Chandler Jones.
Garrett joked that Watt will have to “apologize” to him for being a sore loser.
The DPOY leader this season is less clear. Following Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson’s season-ending injury last month, Watt is considered the favorite. But he isn’t a slam dunk. Garrett narrowly trails him in sacks, 7.5 to 7, and Garrett knows a primetime game could separate the two this Thursday.
“It’s up for grabs this year. We’ll see the best man win,” he said.
And Garrett knows facing Watt on the other side is a motivating factor.
“Two of the very best in the same division, play each other twice a year. Fans hate each other. That kind of stuff gets you excited,” he said. “I know we both feel it and get a little juiced up for this matchup.”
Garrett made sure to give Watt and the Steelers’ second-ranked scoring defense plenty of credit.
“He’s playing some great ball.”
Watt has had plenty of success against the Browns while Garrett’s career sack numbers against the Steelers have been more muted. If Watt can take over against an often-sacked Jameis Winston and struggling Cleveland offense, he could cement himself as the Defensive Player of the Year and finally win his second award.
