Why T.J. Watt keeps chasing the respect the media gives to Myles Garrett

It’s an unending frustration, the conversation of who is better between Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett. Both players are future Hall of Famers, but because of their respective franchises’ rivalry, the fact that they entered the league in the same draft, and sound arguments for and against both players, the conversation is unending.

For those of us on this side of the conversation, we side with Watt. The same goes for those in Cleveland in their support of Garrett. But why is the national conversation seemingly always favoring Garrett?

Let's dive into the never-ending debate about who is the king of AFC North pass rushers.

Pittsburgh Steelers' T.J. Watt seems destined to always be in debates between himself and Myles Garrett

ESPN recently released its edge rusher rankings heading into the 2025 season and put Garrett on top with Watt at No. 2. The argument for Garrett in this particular list came down to his get-off at the snap and production from last year. Watt was void of splash plays down the stretch as Pittsburgh melted away the season. Garrett, on the other hand, was consistent throughout the season despite the Browns’ overall failings.

And there lies the answer: Garrett’s consistency is what keeps him consistently ahead of Watt in the national conversation. Make no mistake, Watt’s career is more impressive in other ways. Watt has led the league in three separate statistics multiple times each, while Garrett only led the league once in a single stat, last year with 22 tackles for loss. Watt also has more sacks overall, though with seven more games under his belt due to early career injuries for Garrett.

How Garrett’s steady production overshadows Watt’s game-wrecking talent

But gathering the overall picture, Watt’s injuries and production lapses are apparent, while Garrett keeps putting up roughly the same elite production year in and year out. Take, for example, the Steelers' woeful record without Watt, 1-10.

The Browns have a similar record for Garrett at 4-11, but it doesn’t get brought up nearly as much because only three of those games have happened in the past four seasons. Nine of those games happened in the past four seasons with Watt and the Steelers.

Granted, Watt hasn’t missed a game in the past two years, but the steep drop-off in production from 2023 to 2024 doesn’t help his argument. The 11.5 sacks Watt posted in 2024 were lower than any total Garrett has put up since 2019. Of course, the two times Watt didn’t lead the league in sacks since 2019 were also the only two instances Garrett had more sacks than Watt. And Watt missed seven games in 2022.

But again, that’s the consistency factor. Garrett’s last four seasons have seen him record 16 sacks each in the first two years and 14 in each of the last two. Garrett gets to the quarterback more reliably, even if, when he arrives, it has little impact on the Browns’ record or the overall outcome of most games. In short, the Browns are usually bad with or without Garrett, but he's great, seemingly, no matter what.

Watt’s game, inversely, has been more boom or bust. Either he takes over the game and saves the Steelers, or he’s eliminated from the equation by predictable double and triple team protections, and the Steelers fall without him. The losing stretch to close the season is prime evidence of that. Again, in short, the Steelers are bad with Watt unless he dominates, which he often does. They're much worse without him or his game-changing plays.

Schematically, the Browns have notoriously allowed Garrett the freedom in the defense to move around and pick his spots. He doesn’t line up on the right tackle virtually every play like Watt does. Garrett is harder to game-plan for in that regard.

Maybe if Watt is moved around more in 2025, the narrative can shift more in his favor. Still, it's no less impressive what Watt accomplishes by lining up in the same spot and facing the protections he does week in and week out, even if 2024 pointed out a clear exhaustion point.

But the arguments for and against either player prove why they are the 1A and 1B in the conversation. For every argument for Garrett, the counterargument doesn’t paint Watt in a poor light, and vice versa. 

The national conversation will lean on Garrett’s consistency despite his team’s performance, because that statistical reliability is a more comfortable point to defend rather than the volatility of the Steelers' reliance on Watt to make game-changing plays. There again, that’s probably why Watt deserves to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, if even for just a short period.