After watching his eighth professional season come off the rails in a major way, going from 11 wins in 2023 to 10 losses in 2024, it would be understandable if Myles Garrett was in his feelings about the Cleveland Browns at the moment.
Now granted, Garrett’s individual numbers are looking fine, securing double-digit sacks for the eighth-straight season with four games left to play, but his individual accolades, likely worthy of All-Pro honors, haven’t translated to team success, with some questioning whether the team should cash out on his contract at the trade deadline to begin a rebuild properly.
Ultimately, that didn’t happen; the Browns kept Garrett and likely will look to keep him around into the future as they turn the page to whatever’s coming next. Still, does Garrett still feel confident in the Browns respecting the remainder of his prime by fielding a contender around him? Well, on Friday, Garrett was asked that very question and let it be known that he is still confident in the Browns’ organization and will continue to ride for them so long as they put an honest effort into fielding a contender.
“We got those guys right there leading the charge organizationally. Them being here, wanting to pick up the right pieces and play, will give me confidence. As long has that’s how it’s looking how it is, I want to be here, and I’ll be happy to play for Cleveland. We all got to be heading in the right direction, and we all got to be on the same page. And until then, I’ll be here playing for the team that drafted me.”
Alright, Browns fans, you can breathe easy, as it sure sounds like Garrett isn’t going to demand his way out any time soon, but that doesn’t mean he’s feeling fantastic about how the season is going so far. Why? Because he also expected to be contending in 2024.
Myles Garrett admits that 2024 has been disappointing
Asked about Jimmy Haslam calling the 2024 season a “perplexing” campaign, considering the team brought back many of their top stars only to see their record nearly flip from the year before, Garrett agreed with the sentiment, noting that he also expected things to be better, even if he acknowledged that the team did lose a few key pieces along the way.
“I mean, it’s been frustrating, but it’s something that we acknowledged at the beginning of the season. It wasn’t going to be like last season, especially defensively,” Garrett told reporters. “Guys have seen what we’re good at; they’ve had a whole year to study and really break down what we do best. So, we have to take it up another level and we didn’t. So, I don’t think it’s as perplexing as we make it, it’s just when you look from the outside in and you just see the result, it’s hard to understand how we got there. But when you break down the film, when you look at how often we beat ourselves, put ourselves in bad position, that’s what bad teams do.”
Have the Browns put themselves in bad positions? Or did things just not break their way this year where they might have in 2023? That autopsy is best saved for the offseason, but at least players like Garrett are receptive to the fact that something isn’t right, as that self-reflection is important to growth.
