Steelers Now
In ESPN’s annual survey that includes voting from league executives, coaches and scouts to help rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions, Myles Garrett once again ranked ahead of T.J. Watt at the edge rusher position.
“Watt is a worthy rival to Garrett in the AFC North. His 108 career sacks rank third all time for a player’s first eight seasons, behind Reggie White (124) and DeMarcus Ware (111). He’s a near-lock for an All-Pro team every year. And he leads the NFL in forced fumbles (10) over the past two seasons, along with being second in sacks (30.5) and quarterback hits (63). But he’s stuck in the No. 2 spot for the second consecutive year while Garrett separates,” ESPN wrote.
One veteran AFC defensive coach had this to say about Watt, “He’s still the gold standard for me. He completely wrecks a game and he can do everything.”
Watt, 30, is also coming off the least-productive full season of his NFL career, which doesn’t help his price tag. However, he still proved to be a difference maker while recording 11.5 sacks and a league-leading six forced fumbles.
“Watt’s play lacked splash late in the season, with seven total tackles and zero sacks over his final four games including playoffs. His pass rush win rate dipped from the low-20s to 18.5%,” ESPN wrote.
An NFL coordinator added, “I thought he wore down a little bit. But their whole defense did. I think they just got tired, and the struggles on offense could have played a role.”
Garrett earned at least 70% of the first-place votes in back-to-back years.
“Nobody is quicker off the ball. Garrett reached an average “get-off” of 0.70 seconds, per Next Gen Stats, tied for the quickest among edge rushers with at least 200 pass rushes. That resulted in 40 quick pressures (under 2.5 seconds), which ranked second in the NFL,” ESPN wrote.
An NFC personnel evaluator said, “He has significantly refined his overall game over the years. A good tackle used to be able to give him problems, but that’s less and less the case now. He’s more consistent with his pass rush.”
Garrett was just made the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history this offseason with a contract extension that pays him $40 million per year. That is likely the number Watt is trying to match or break.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Myles Garrett Tops T.J. Watt as NFL’s Best Edge Rusher Once Again
