Browns' Myles Garrett sounds defeated amid latest losing season
Star pass-rusher Myles Garrett could've tried to force the Cleveland Browns to trade him during the offseason, but he instead inked a massive contract extension to stay with the franchise that made him the first overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Garrett now features for a team that fell to 1-5 on the season via a 23-9 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Following that result, Garrett indicated he's displeased with the state of the Browns this fall.
Playing for 1-5 Browns is "frustrating as hell" for Myles Garrett
"It's frustrating," Garrett acknowledged, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "To lose the same way every time, it’s frustrating as hell."
The Browns have now dropped back-to-back games since naming rookie third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel their starting quarterback. At Pittsburgh's Acrisure Stadium, Gabriel took six sacks and 16 hits after throws. Meanwhile, the Cleveland offense failed to tally a single touchdown.
"Got to continue being the same person every day," Garrett said about his mindset. "Coming in, working my a-- off, showing guys what it’s like, what’s expected of you to be a professional and, you know, a man of character. Come in and just be who you are. Don’t let the environment or situation define who you are."
Myles Garrett jealous of winning teams?
Garrett requested a trade this past winter because of his desire to pursue a Super Bowl ring, but he eventually signed a four-year, $160M contract extension that included $123.5M guaranteed to stay put. According to Daryl Ruiter of Cleveland sports radio station 92.3 The Fan, the Browns fell to 4-19 in their last 23 games on Sunday. Cleveland scored 20 or more points on just three occasions over that span.
According to ESPN stats, the Browns began Monday ranked last in the league with an average of 13.7 points scored per game on the season.
As for Garrett, he was held without a sack for a third straight game. After Cleveland's latest loss, he was asked about watching T.J. Watt and other Pittsburgh defensive players being able to rush a quarterback while having a double-digit lead.
"Must be nice," Garrett said.
Garrett and the Browns may have an opportunity for a get-right spot when Cleveland hosts the Miami Dolphins (1-5) on Oct. 19. As of Monday, ESPN BET had the Browns as 2.5-point favorites for that matchup.
Matt LaFleur shares cloudy update on key Packers defender who left Bengals game with concerning injury
A big part of the Green Bay Packers’ defensive structure is their elite edge rush rotation. Micah Parsons and Rashan Gary are the stars, but fellow former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness has been instrumental for the unit.
On Sunday, during the 27-18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Van Ness got a sack on veteran quarterback Joe Flacco late in the game, but immediately got off the field with a foot injury. It’s not clear what the outlook is, but head coach Matt LaFleur shared an update after the matchup.
“I talked to him real quick,” LaFleur explained. “I know he's going to get an MRI [on Monday].”
Positive detail
While the MRI will determine what Van Ness’ injury is and if he will need to miss some time, one detail of LaFleur’s quote is promising.
“I know he's sore in his foot, but I don't believe there was anything broken,” the head coach revealed. “We'll have a better understanding of what's going on [Monday].”
Edge depth
The ability to have three productive edge defenders has been a key for the defense so far. Not only has defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley been able to rotate the three, but in several instances there are package plays for all of Parsons, Gary, and Van Ness to be on the field at the same time. Van Ness, in particular, has the versatility to move inside.
Beyond them, the quality of the pass rushers is not the same. The fourth guy is Kingsley Enagbare, who has generated trade buzz, and fourth-round rookie Barryn Sorrell.
The Packers still have some injured players at the position close to returning. Brenton Cox hurt his groin in Week 1 versus the Detroit Lions and is now eligible to come back from injured reserve — it’s not clear if he’s fully healthy, but he’s already spent four games on IR. Additionally, fifth-round rookie Collin Oliver, an edge and off-ball linebacker hybrid, started the season on the physically unable to perform list due to a hamstring injury and is also eligible to be activated at any point.
