There is no denying Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt is one of the best pass rushers in the game. Honestly, he is one of the best all-around defenders in the NFL when you consider all the things he does for the Steelers defense.
But is he the best? This was the question ESPN attempted to answer when they made their list of the best edge rushers in the NFL. Their answer was unfortunately no.
To add insult to injury, not only did they rank Watt the No. 2 edge rusher in the NFL, they did it by putting Watt behind Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
Here’s what they had to say about Watt.
The truth is he might not have been the best athlete at his own position,” an NFC defensive coach said, referring to former teammate Bud Dupree, who signed with Tennessee as a free agent. “He’s not the most explosive guy. But he’s so damn relentless and smart and technically perfect that he just wins. He’ll probably have a Hall of Fame career for all those reasons.
Basically, when they did the judging, they took the fact that Garrett was more athletic and gave that more weight than Watt being more productive. This doesn’t make a whole lot of sense but such is the nature of rankings like this.
