T.J. Watt vs Myles Garrett right now

By: Jake Rajala

Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt have gone toe to toe for Defensive Player of The Year in the past few years. They both have had prolific careers leading up to this point. With that said, I’m going to untwine who has the better resume.

Myles Garrett accolades

• Eight seasons

• 102.5 sacks

• 116 tackles for loss

• 200 QB hits

• 20 forced fumbles

• Four-time first-team All-Pro

• DPOY

Now it’s time to untwine the resume of T.J. Watt!

T.J. Watt accolades

• Eight seasons

• 108 sacks

• 126 TFLs

• 225 QB hits

• 33 forced fumbles

• Four-time first team All-Pro

• DPOY

As you can tell, each defensive player has similar resumes. Watt had the best individual season – where he tied Michael Strahan’s sack record in 2021. Watt can also attack the ball, as he has many more forced fumbles than Garrett.

With that said, I’m going to unveil the 2024 season from both of these greek gods.

Garrett

• 14 sacks

• 28 QB hits

• 22 TFLs

• three forced fumbles

Watt

• 11.5 sacks

• 27 QB hits

• 19 TFLs

• six forced fumbles

Garrett also had an PFF grade of 92.3, which was second among edge players. Meanwhile, T.J. had an PFF grade of 92.2. This was third among edge players.

Each pass rusher could benefit from help from their secondary. So, how talented is each secondary? Well, the Browns ranked 14th in passing yards allowed last season, while the Steelers ranked 23rd in passing yards allowed per game last season. Neither team forces opposing offenses to play-catch-up, which would allow Watt and Garrett to pin their ears back and constantly rush the passer.

I would say that Watt has the edge over Garrett. Even with Garrett playing better than Watt last season, Watt was right on his tail. I would say that each defender is still in their prime and fully capable of winning another DPOY trophy. These two mythical defenders are sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famers, too.

It will be a serious challenge for either DE to win a Lombardi trophy. The Browns and Steelers don’t have a clear-cut worthy QB1. I would like to see these edge players traded to teams, where they could wreak havoc and a legit shot at winning a Lombardi trophy.