At this point, coming off a second NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award and a record-breaking season, there should be little debate about the status of Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett. By almost any measure, the defensive end has put himself ahead of everyone else on that side of the ball.
However, that won’t stop others from trying to dispute his status. It includes some of the players themselves, such as Green Bay Packers standout Micah Parsons.
In a recent sit-down for Bleacher Report, Parsons challenged Garrett’s supremacy multiple times. Garrett, for his part, had no trouble defending himself.
Now, former Browns lineman Phil Taylor is also shutting down the Parsons-Garrett debate by pointing out that Cleveland’s All-Pro is a better two-way player who can not only rush the passer but can also defend the run.
“[Micah] is a top three pass rusher, he ain’t good at stopping the run. Myles can do both,” Taylor said.
"Micah is a top 3 pass RUSHER, he's not good at stopping the run. Myles can do both." #DawgPound@PhilTaylor98 puts to bed any talk of Micah Parsons over Myles Garrett.
presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/bygEoJ2Swg pic.twitter.com/MOYLrg8bXL
— The Top Dawgs Show (@TopDawgShow) February 13, 2026
Garrett just set the NFL single-season record for sacks, recording 23.0 to break the mark of 22.5 that was shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. Because Garrett annually puts up hefty sack totals, his strength in run defense can easily be overlooked.
Yet, those stats also clearly reveal Garrett’s dominance in that area. This season, he led the league with 33 tackles for loss, after also doing so in 2024 with 22 TFL. In his nine-year career, Garrett has 149 tackles for loss, which is an average of 16.6 per season.
By comparison, Parsons has had more than 16 TFL just once in his five NFL seasons. He also has had as many as 14.0 sacks just once, while Garret has reached that number in each of those five years.
Parsons is a huge self-promoter with his own podcast, and having broken into the league with the Dallas Cowboys, had a much bigger platform than Garrett has had with the Browns. So, it can be easy to see how Parsons can inject himself into these discussions.
But looking at the overall body of work, it is hard to see any legitimate argument being made that puts Parsons ahead of Garrett.
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