The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the 2025 regular season, which will be star outside linebacker TJ Watt's ninth season in the NFL. He has been one of the best players at his position since being selected by Pittsburgh with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. There is no doubt that Watt is on track to be a future Hall of Famer, yet there are times where he seems to be living in the shadow of another edge rusher in the AFC North in Myles Garrett. The debate regarding which player is better has been going on ever since both players were drafted in 2017, and the argument is close.
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Steelers' star pass rusher TJ Watt shares a brief postgame moment with Browns defensive standout Myles Garrett following a hard-fought AFC North battle between Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
Both Watt and Garrett have each won one Defensive Player of the Year Award, although it can be argued that Watt has been snubbed on multiple occasions, including the 2023 season where he outperformed Garrett in nearly every major category, yet the award still went to the Cleveland Browns defender. Garrett has been more outspoken about the debate than Watt, but Pittsburgh's star recently sat down with Sky Sports and he was asked about the argument.
"I mean that's the thing about all these, 'Who's better than who?' It's one of those things where it's not for me to answer," Watt said. "I just want to play the best possible football that I can play. I want to bring a championship to the city of Pittsburgh. I want to be able to be a force multiplier for my time. Just help as much as I can. All that other stuff can be debated by other people. I don't want to waste time thinking about it."
Watt delivered a media-trained answer when asked about the debate between him and Garrett, which is to be expected. The two have been some of the biggest game-wreckers on the defensive side of the ball over the last eight seasons, but Watt has better career numbers than Garrett almost all the way across the board. Fans really have to dive into the over-analytical statistics to find any argument that supports the idea that Garrett has been better than Watt, like "pass-rush win-rate."
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Steelers superstar pass rusher TJ Watt talks with longtime defensive leader Cam Heyward during training camp.
Watt has played in four more career games than Garrett has, but he has a large lead in a lot of statistical categories. He is the active leader in the NFL when it comes to forced fumbles and he also has five and a half more sacks than Garrett. Watt has also been better when playing against the pass in ways other than pressuring the quarterback, as he has seven career interceptions, while Garrett has zero. Watt has a nose for the football as he has batted down nearly 50 balls, while Garrett has done it just 17 times.
Steelers' TJ Watt Still In Search Of More Team Success
Watt and the Steelers have handily won more games than Garrett and Cleveland during their time in the NFL, but Garrett does have a playoff win, which is something Watt is still looking for. Neither player has significant postseason success, but the Steelers are certainly set up better to go on a deep playoff run during the 2025 season.
NFL.com
TJ Watt scoops up a loose football for the first score in Pittsburgh's Wild Card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022.
During the interview, the Pittsburgh defender made it clear he does not care as much about individual success as he does finding a way to win as a team. That is the main goal in Pittsburgh, and Watt is running out of time to make his mark on a championship team, as he is going to turn 31 during the 2025 season. He just inked a fresh contract extension that will keep him with the Steelers through the 2028 season, so the Steelers need to find a way to make some noise before then.
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