Dan Moore saw the crossover dribble impersonation that Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett performed last week before he pursued Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
It was hard to miss considering it made all the highlight reels and became a social media staple.
That Garrett pulled off the stunt in an NFL game didn’t surprise Moore because he has seen his fellow Texas A&M Aggie play recreationally on the school’s campus during the offseason.
“I’d never play basketball against that guy,” Moore said. “He’s way too athletic. He’d make me look silly.”
Perhaps that would be the case on the hardwood. But when it comes to the football field, Garrett hasn’t made Moore, or any other Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman, look silly in quite some time.
The 6-foot-4, 272-pound defensive end may be one of the NFL’s top pass rushers, reaching double digits in sacks for five consecutive seasons and topping out at 16 in each of the past two years. Yet Garrett’s sack numbers are pedestrian when it’s time for him to face the Steelers.
In 10 career matchups since Garrett entered the NFL in 2017 — he also was inactive for one game and suspended for another — he has totaled seven sacks. Just once did Garrett reach two in a game against the Steelers, and that was back in the 2018 season opener.
Moore will try to keep the Browns’ giant from awakening Monday night when the two meet again at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers are trying to get back to .500 after opening the season with a 30-7 loss to San Francisco, and the Browns are looking to improve to 2-0 after upsetting the division favorite Cincinnati Bengals, 24-3.
Garrett had one sack and hit Burrow three other times in the Browns’ win.
“He’s one of the best edge rushers in this league, and you have to give him the respect that he’s due,” Moore said. “Like coach says, minimize him, don’t let him add to his resume.”
Since becoming the Steelers left tackle after earning a starting spot as a rookie in 2021, Moore has faced Garrett four times. Garrett has two sacks in that span, including one last year in the season finale.
“I’m familiar with him, and he’s familiar with me,” Moore said. “It’s now the mental game that is going to be the biggest challenge.”
Garrett has that edge heading into the game.
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It doesn’t help Moore’s cause that he is coming off a rough start to his season. In the 30-7 loss to the 49ers, Moore was credited with allowing one of the five sacks San Francisco had against Kenny Pickett. Per Pro Football Focus, Moore also allowed nine pressures and six hurries while receiving the lowest pass-blocking grade of any NFL tackle.
Moore’s play had fans calling for first-round pick Broderick Jones to replace him at left tackle. But when the Steelers opened practice last week, Jones was at right tackle spelling a concussed Chuks Okorafor, and Moore took his regular snaps on the left side.
Okorafor will start against the Browns, but Jones prepared for blocking Garrett if the opportunity arises Monday.
“It’s an opportunity for me to showcase what I can do and be able to get to work with somebody as good as him and the whole front of the Browns,” Jones said. “They have good talent up front. … I feel like it would be a good challenge for me to show my athleticism and what I can do.”
The Browns have used Garrett at various spots along the defensive line, and his crossover drill rush attempt last weekend came when he was lined up over center. Moore, though, expects to go face-to-face with Garrett for most of the game Monday if only because pride is on the line.
“I know that guy. I know how he is, how he is wired,” Moore said. “Especially with us going to the same college, he wants that Aggie matchup most definitely.”
Garrett introduced himself — at least on the NFL stage — to Moore on Halloween weekend of the 2021 season. Garrett had a sack in a game at Cleveland that the Steelers won 15-10. The encounter proved to be a measuring stick for the fourth-round rookie tackle.
“It made the rest of the season a heck of a lot easier,” Moore said. “I didn’t face anyone I felt like was even close to that caliber.”
At least not in games. On the practice field, Moore occasionally gets to face T.J. Watt, who was selected 29 picks after Garrett went to the Browns in the 2017 draft. Watt usually lines up over the right tackle, and Moore has taken some snaps there.
“It does help,” Moore said. “Especially when you’re talking about the double-team aspect, chipping out of the backfield. It helps tackles prepare for guys like (Garrett), how they are going to set up their rushes based on chips.”
Although he plays on the opposite side of the defense as Garrett, Watt has learned some pointers from analyzing Garrett’s game. He has respect for what Garrett has achieved since they broke into the NFL together six years ago.
“All you have to do is turn on the tape, and it’s pretty obvious,” Watt said when asked what Garrett does well. “The guy gets after the quarterback and is able to make big-time plays in big-time moments.”
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