Rich Eisen startlingly passed on Steelers’ TJ Watt as his first or second choice to win DPOY.
Steelers’ TJ Watt doesn’t even earn silver in Rich Eisen’s ranking
The fact that Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns will likely beat TJ Watt for Defensive Player of the Year has probably not stopped Pittsburgh Steelers fans from clenching their teeth, but they may lose their minds when they learn where Rich Eisen ranks the best linebacker.
According to Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora, the television and radio personality stated, “Even though I know Watt was superb, it would be between Myles Garrett and {Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher} Maxx Crosby.” “Gosh, I would vote for Garrett in the end.”
Eisen is following in the footsteps of other experts who refuse to accept the box-score numbers at their value.
With 19 sacks this season, Watt lead the NFL. He was recently awarded a First-Team All-Pro for the fourth time in his illustrious career. In terms of tackles for loss, he surpasses Garrett (19–17) and outperforms Crosby (4–2). With 36 quarterback hits, Watt outperforms both DPOY contenders, demonstrating the terror he consistently inspires in opposing offensive lines and signal-callers.
Could a new DPOY rivalry be born between TJ Watt and Myles Garrett?
It is impossible to keep No. 90 out of the top two for this coveted award, but the figures above do not take into account other factors like who a player shares a D-Line with and how much attention they constantly receive in the trenches.
For the most part of the season, though, it seems like Myles Garrett has been advancing towards this possible crowning. He and TJ Watt have both been required to make up for offensive shortfalls and injuries by exerting every ounce of effort necessary to get their teams into the postseason. Unfortunately, Watt was unable to reap the rewards of his labour in the AFC Wild Card Round due to a knee injury.
And now, it seems that another thing is likely to against him. He won Defensive Player of the Year honors after the 2021-22 campaign, which should soften this expected blow, but there is definitely a strong case to be made for him to snag the title again. And Steelers fans will incessantly make it to Rich Eisen whenever they get the opportunity.
