Steelers' TJ Watt And Brother JJ Left Browns' Myles Garrett Seriously Hurt: [They] Poked The Bear"

Pittsburgh Steelers star edge rusher TJ Watt wasn’t happy when he didn’t win the 2023 AP Defensive Player of the Year Award. Instead, Cleveland Browns star pass rusher Myles Garrett was crowned the best defensive player in the NFL for the 2023 season. It was strange considering TJ, by every metric, dominated Garrett in terms of production. These stats have been used to measure a defensive player’s dominance for decades, but in the 2023 season, it felt like no matter what TJ did, Garrett was going to win the award. That’s why TJ was so upset, but he didn’t say much other than a cryptic social media post before the event.

TJ's brother, JJ Watt, was a bit more vocal but still always super respectful of Garrett’s greatness. While JJ expressed his frustration in interviews, he kept the focus on Garrett’s impressive season rather than attacking the voting process. Despite the public respect, it was clear that both Watts felt their brother’s dominance was being overlooked in favor of Garrett. The tension between the two sides has further grown after Garrett has seemed to take shots at the Watt brothers.

Garrett dominated the Steelers during the Browns' 24-19 win over Pittsburgh. Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot revealed on The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show on Tuesday that Garrett was really upset by how the Watt brothers handled him winning the award. According to Cabot, Garrett felt personally hurt by the way the brothers responded to his recognition, despite their mutual respect for one another. This has added another layer to an already intense rivalry between the Steelers and Browns.

"What happened was TJ Watt poked the bear when he tweeted about those NFL Honors awards last February," Cabot said Tuesday. "That really stuck in Myles' craw. It hurt him. JJ Watt, his brother, kinda chimed in on that. Myles firmly believed that was his moment. They stole his thunder. TJ stole his thunder."

Garrett was disappointed to see anyone speak out against him winning the award, stating that he’s never had issues when someone else has won it over him. 

Cabot believes this frustration fueled his dominant performance against Pittsburgh on Thursday night, where he recorded three sacks and one forced fumble.

"He's never thrown shade at a TJ award," Cabot said. "I think he was really, really upset by that. He used that as fuel in that game and boy did it work for him."

The first part of this is a bit surprising. The Watt brothers handled the entire situation with a great deal of respect. Sure, you could critique how TJ addressed it, but considering his frustration, he remained remarkably respectful. That frustration stemmed from a heated debate that TJ wasn’t as dominant as Garrett according to some newer, less traditional metrics. In fact it would be more fair to argue that TJ could have said way more than he actually did. 

Steelers' TJ Watt And Brother JJ Did Nothing Wrong

What both JJ and TJ were trying to convey was not to speak negatively about Garrett, but instead show support for the great season that TJ had. A season they both felt should have been rewarded with the DPOY crown. When you compare the stats, it becomes clear why the Watt brothers felt the need to speak out about the DPOY snub. On paper, it seemed almost unfathomable that Garrett would win the award over TJ.

On Thursday night, Garrett outshined TJ in a major way, and he's riding high, taking subtle jabs at both TJ and JJ. The Browns are sitting at 3-8, while the Steelers are 8-3. While TJ may not have outperformed Garrett that night, it’s likely that he’ll have the last laugh. Steeler Nation is eagerly awaiting TJ's response on the field to the criticism following his quiet performance against the Browns.

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