Browns: Lakers’ LeBron James reacts to Myles Garrett’s DPOY win

LeBron James always stands up for Cleveland.

LeBron James has already insisted otherwise, but it’s safe to say the NBA trade deadline didn’t go the way he wanted. Any quiet frustration the four-time champion might be feeling in response to his team’s status quo, though didn’t keep James from acknowledging the historic achievement of Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett.

Garrett won NFL Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday at the 13th annual NFL Honors, becoming the first Brown in franchise history to be named football’s top defender. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ TJ Watt, who took home the trophy in 2021, finished second in the voting while Dallas Cowboys game-wrecker Micah Parsons came in third. Las Vegas Raiders pass-rusher Maxx Crosby and Dallas Cowboys cornerback Daron Bland were the only other players to finish with more than seven points in the voting.

Re-posting a photo of Garrett holding the DPOY award on Friday morning, James had a message for his fellow Cleveland sports icon.

“Congrats brother!!!” James wrote in his Instagram story, including seven clapping emojis.

Garrett was the most dominant defender in football this season, previously earning DPOY honors from the Pro Football Writers’ Association of America coming into Thursday’s event in Las Vegas. Spearheading the NFL’s top-ranked defense, he racked up 14 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, 17 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, three deflected and 42 tackles in 2023. He had a pass-rush win rate of 30% and drew double-teams on 29% of his snaps, according to ESPN analytics, numbers that both rank second in the league behind Parsons’.

James, obviously, knows greatness when he sees it—and not just because he still considers Northeast Ohio home.

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J.J. Watt questions Myles Garrett beating out his brother T.J. Watt for NFL Defensive Player of the Year

LAS VEGAS — In mega-Watt fashion, three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt questioned on Friday afternoon how Myles Garrett could have won NFL Defensive Player of the Year over his brother T.J. Watt.

Posting a graphic with most of T.J.’s stats next to those of Garrett’s — whom he just listed as “DPOY” — J.J. showed Garrett’s deficits in red all down the chart. The categories included sacks (-5), pressures (-14), QB hits (-6), tackles for a loss (-2), combined forced and recovered fumbles (-2), and more.

J.J. was careful in the text part of his post not to disrespect Garrett, who won his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year award after dominating on the best defense in the NFL.

“Everybody is asking for my opinion on DPOY. I get it,” J.J. posted above the graphic. “The problem is I have no interest in tearing down MG. Myles is a phenomenal player, I’m a big fan and he’s had an incredible career so far. I can acknowledge that while also wondering what more TJ could have possibly done.”

Garrett, who had never gotten a first-place vote before, received 23 to Watt’s 19. In terms of points, he beat him 165-140. It was the most narrow victory since 2016, when Khalil Mack edged out Von Miller, 18-17. T.J. is also the first defender to not win the award after notching at least 19 sacks, 19 tackles for a loss, 36 QB hits, four forced fumbles, and three recoveries.

T.J. Watt, who led the NFL with 19.0 sacks in 2023 and has done so in three of the past four seasons, opted not to attend the awards ceremony. The only year he didn’t lead the NFL in sacks in the past four was in 2022, when he missed seven games with a torn pectoral muscle.

But as the Browns have noted all season, sacks don’t tell the full story, and Garrett dominated in key advanced metrics such as pass-rush win-rate. According to ESPN analytics, he finished second in that category and in double-teams to Dallas’ Micah Parsons, another candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year this season. T.J. finished fourth in pass-rush win-rate, and middle of the pack in taking on double teams.

It’s why Parsons defended Garrett on X on Friday when a Barstool Sports figure ripped Garrett winning, calling it “Another NFL RIG JOB” on X. Other DPOY candidates were Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby and Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland.

“Horrible take!!” Parsons posted on X. “Myles was the better player!! Reality of the situation ! Myles Faced way more double teams and affect on qbs! Fans please stop looking at stats and look at film please!!”

Parsons isn’t the only one. Former NFL defensive end Chris Long, a friend of Garrett’s and host of the Green Light podcast, also gave him the nod over Watt and Parsons this season. Long and Garrett have worked together in Long’s Waterboys organization, helping to bring clean drinking water to underpriveleged communities.

“Very well deserved,” Long told cleveland.com on radio row at the Super Bowl Friday of Garrett’s victory. “I’ve known the guy a long time. I’m happy for him, and when you look at the way he affects the game pre-snap, if you look at the stats that’s fine, but it’s hard for people to overestimate how much he affects game planning during the week. Like they’re spending hours talking about the guy, so I’ve seen people motion and give him the Calvin Johnson (treatment) as it would be for a defensive end. He just changes the game. There are so many great players. I love T.J., I love Micah, and they tell you, I think they already have. He deserves it.”

Browns defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, who also made the rounds on radio row on Friday, understands how T.J. feels, even though he’s 100% on Team Garrett.

“I feel like that’s just our competitive spirit,” Hurst told cleveland.com. “As an athlete, everyone wants to win the awards, everyone wants to have that sort of recognition when you feel that you’re the best in the league and I feel like that’s just a response to that competitive nature that he has because he’s a phenomenal player. Him and Myles are two of the best playing in the same division, and it’s a battle back and forth between them every time we play who’s going to be the better player, but I give Myles all of his flowers for winning the award.”

Browns tight end David Njoku also didn’t fault J.J. for having his brother’s back.

“At the end of the day, everybody has their own opinions,” Njoku said. “J.J. obviously favors T.J., and I favor Myles. That’s pretty much it.”

He said the award has special meaning for him, because he and Garrett were both drafted by the Browns in the first round in 2017, Garrett No. 1 overall, and Njoku No. 29.

“Myles is the best,” Njoku said. “I’ve been saying that since Day 1. Our rookie year to now, he’s the best D-end I’ve ever gone against. Since Day 1 until now, we’ve definitely been through the ringer, so that makes it that much better that he earned it. He’s the best. I love that guy.”

Browns QB Joe Flacco also weighed in on Thursday night.

“There’s no one better,” he said.

And now he’s got the coveted NFL Defensive Player of the Year hardware to prove it.