Even the most casual football fan can see how great a player Myles Garrett is. The Cleveland Browns’ defensive end makes a significant impact in almost every game he plays.
His status is backed up by two Defensive Player of the Year Awards earned over the past three seasons. He has also been named an All-Pro five times and to the Pro Bowl seven times in his nine NFL seasons.
But, if more proof was needed, a graphic from Pro Football Focus shows just how dominant Garrett has been, as he is one of just three players who have been its highest-graded defensive lineman over the past decade.
“The highest-graded defensive lineman every season over the past decade: Aaron Donald from 2016 to 2021; Myles Garrett from 2022 to 2024; Will Anderson in 2025, ” PFF posted on X.
The highest-graded defensive lineman every season over the past decade 💪 pic.twitter.com/3zvyOIsVWW
— PFF (@PFF) February 14, 2026
Surprisingly, Garrett did not earn the honor this season, even though he set the NFL record for sacks. He was behind Anderson of the Houston Texans, who finished second to Garrett’s unanimous selection in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year.
Donald is a Los Angeles Rams legend who is arguably the greatest interior defensive lineman of all time. However, Garrett had surpassed him in these rankings even before Donald retired following the 2023 season.
Though Garrett arguably cemented his status as the game’s best current defensive player with his record-breaking season, not everyone is convinced. Green Bay Packers star Micah Parsons recently challenged his supremacy, though Garrett had no problem defending himself and supporting his case.
In the three-year span that Garrett topped the PFF rankings, he totaled 44.0 sacks, 149 combined tackles, 57 tackles for loss, and 84 quarterback hits. In 2025 alone, he had 23.0 sacks, 60 combined tackles, 33 tackles for loss, and 39 quarterback hits.
Now, Garrett will have to adjust to a new head coach and a new defensive coordinator in Cleveland next season. When Todd Monken was given the top job over Jim Schwartz, it led to Schwartz’s resignation.
Now, with internal candidates Ephraim Banda and Jason Tarver reportedly having an edge to be promoted to run the defense, they can always rely on Garrett to lead the way.
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