Browns fans can breathe a sigh of relief
There are a number of stats and anecdotes that you could point to which would help illustrate the impact that defensive end Myles Garrett has had on the Cleveland Browns. His four consecutive All-Pro teams and his 2023 Defensive Player of the Year campaign are a good place to start, as is the fact that only Reggie White, DeMarcus Ware, TJ Watt and Lawrence Taylor have registered more sacks in their first seven seasons than Garrett has.
But Myles Garrett's impact in 2024 could take a hit, as the 28-year-old has been dealing with a foot injury since early September. Finally, after putting it off for weeks, Garrett decided to get an MRI, and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski revealed that the results were promising.
“#Browns star DE Myles Garrett (foot/ankle) underwent an MRI today that came back clean,” tweets NFL insider Tom Pelissero. “Kevin Stefanski said today Garrett is day to day: ‘Myles is battling every day. We feel he will continue to do that.'”
Although it's undoubtedly promising news that Myles Garrett's MRI came back clean, the lingering foot injury is still a huge concern for both the Browns and for Garrett himself.
On Friday, Myles Garrett revealed that the injury may require offseason injury. After Cleveland's loss on Sunday to the Giants, Garrett offered a further explanation to reporters, emphasizing that this isn't just a run of the mill foot injury.
“It's more than just the foot,” Garrett told reporters, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com “It's multiple things going on. So, I mean, if I think the foot's feeling good or feeling better, it's one thing or another. So it's kind of just feeding into each other right now, and nothing's sitting right because nothing has time to heal because I'm leaning on something else and I'm compensating here to make something hurt there. It's just been — like I said, a cycle.”
Browns have big problems beyond Myles Garrett's health
The Cleveland Browns are 1-2 and while it may seem reasonable that a less-than-100 percent Myles Garrett would be their biggest issue moving forward, that's not the case. It's been beaten to death at this point, but the Browns quarterback situation is catastrophic. Not only is Deshaun Watson one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league at this juncture of his career, but he's also one of the most expensive.
If we want to stay on the injury front, then it should be noted that Nick Chubb, who was once one of the league's best and most productive running backs, still has yet to return from a serious knee injury suffered over a year ago. And what was recently one of the NFL's best offensive lines has been pillaged by retirements and injuries.
All things considered, even a fully healthy Myles Garrett might not be enough to get the Cleveland Browns back on track.
