Myles Garrett took to social media with a bold message after the Cleveland Browns‘ recent loss to the New York Giants, despite growing concerns about his health following the game.
The star pass-rusher showed no signs of backing down, sending a clear signal to both fans and critics.
“We can do better. We will do better,” Garrett wrote. “On to Las Vegas.”
The Browns face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Garrett is dealing with foot and leg injuries on both sides and had an MRI on Monday to assess the issue. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has been dubbed day-to-day.
“With Myles, as you guys know, he’s battling every day. So I feel that he’s going to continue to do that,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said on September 23. “He’s like a lot of our guys on this team. He’s going to battle through these injuries and I expect him to continue to get better.”
Garrett has collected 6 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble this season. His grade on Pro Football Focus is 91.6 — unsurprisingly putting him in elite territory.
Myles Garrett Motivated by Browns Fans Chanting
Garrett was held without a sack for the first time this season against the Giants. He exited in the second half and went to the medical tent but did re-enter later in the game.
Garrett went down to the turf in the fourth quarter but Browns fans chanted his name, showing their support. It helped him to keep pushing through the injury.
“I felt empowered to continue to give my best for not only my team, but for the fans, for the organization and that’s the kind of things that you dream of,” Garrett said after the game. “And it’s not the situation we wanted to be in with the score, but that kind of support behind myself and us, that’s when you step up and make plays and we made plays down the stretch, but we need to make a couple more. But that’s the stuff that you play for. So, I’m going to continue to make us as Browns proud and do my best.”
This season, Garrett has done his best to build a bridge with Browns fans. He was spotted ahead of Week 1 surprising some tailgaters, and has said they have all the right to boo (which has happened multiple times this season) if the team is not performing well on the field.
“They have the right to tell us however they feel. I mean, if we’re not playing well, they have the right to boo. If we’re kicking a–, they have the right to cheer. It’s their privilege,” Garrett said on September 9. “They come in, they pay to see us do well and we didn’t, and we got to put on better performance if we expect them to go out there and support us in full force. So we got to be better, and that’s all on us.”
Browns Sorting Out Injuries Beyond Myles Garrett
The Browns are dealing with multiple key injuries, including to Pro Bowl guard Wyatt Teller. He’ll miss multiple weeks with a knee injury and the Browns have not ruled out Teller going on injured reserve. The Browns are assessing the health of the rest of their offensive line, with Jedrick Wills Jr., James Hudson III, Dawand Jones and Jack Conklin all dealing with injuries.
The Browns were forced into an emergency situation against the Giants, with veteran guard Joel Bitonio playing offensive tackle. Backup center Nick Harris entered the game so that starting center Ethan Pocic could move to guard.
“We’ll work through the offensive line,” Stefanski said. “We’ll take in more information today, tomorrow, Wednesday, before we know exactly how that’s going to shake out.”
The Browns gave up eight sacks against the Giants and have allowed the most pressures in the league.
