Behind the Steel Curtain
For years, one of the most frequent debates in the AFC North revolved around who was the better pass rusher: Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt or Cleveland’s Myles Garrett? Since entering the league together in 2017, the two players have served as an interesting Rorschach test for the league, as the two have had eerily similar production, despite having wildly different playstyles, body types, and paths to the NFL.
Upon being drafted, Garrett immediately stepped into the role of media darling as that year’s first overall pick. Garrett looks like a prototypical defensive end, the type of player some football-obsessed scientist might concoct in a lab. Garrett has rare size paired with even rarer athleticism — he scored a 9.99 RAS during his NFL Combine workouts — and he is able to use his athletic gifts to win with both speed and power.
Watt, on the other hand, was more of an afterthought to national media, at least initially. He is no slouch athletically — he scored a 9.92 RAS, for what it’s worth — but he was the 30th overall selection, which naturally draws less fanfare than the top pick. He also entered the league in the shadow of his older brother, three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt, a challenge long-time readers might remember being discussed here on BTSC at the time. While T.J. Watt is not a small man (6’4, 252 pounds) by normal standards, he isn’t as big as his brother (6’5, 290 pounds) nor Garrett (6’4, 272 pounds), instead winning much more with speed.
Both Watt and Garrett met their different pressures and challenges, quickly becoming two of the most productive players in the league. Watt tied the single-season sack record in 2021 at 27 years old, on his way to DPOY honors. The debate reached new heights in 2023 after Watt was robbed of the award in favor of Garrett despite leading Garrett in every important stat, including sacks, quarterback hits, tackles for loss, and turnovers generated. In the two seasons since, Garrett has gone on to win his second DPOY, broken the single-season sack record, and overtaken Watt in career sacks totals for the first time since 2019.
But now Garrett is gone, traded to the Rams. With him now across the country, and Watt coming off two lean years of production — at least by his standards — the Garrett-Watt debate has lost some of its fervor. I know some of our readership might grouse at discussions that focus on individual player accomplishments, but I, for one, will miss the debates. In a league built to ensure parity, the “My guy is better than your guy” debates are the lifeblood of fan discourse most years. Why shouldn’t we enjoy some of the little things along the way to that elusive seventh Lombardi, whenever it may come?
With that in mind, the Garrett trade and the Nick Herbig extension have prompted new discussions about the state of pass rushers in the AFC North. And...
