The Cleveland Browns defense is built around DE Myles Garrett for good reason. The ability of Garrett to create disruption in all phases of the game from all different spots on the defensive line makes him a unique player in the NFL. Outside of Aaron Donald, there may not be another defensive player teams would covet to build their team around.
In 68 regular season games, Garrett has 58.5 sacks, 59 tackles for loss and 116 quarterback hits. In Cleveland’s two postseason games in 2020, Garrett added a sack, a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits.
With Garrett up front, the Browns have the ability to be creative in how they spend their assets. They have used midround selections to draft linemen to build around Garrett while getting Jadeveon Clowney in free agency as a bookend.
Garrett’s ability to quickly disrupt a passing play is one of his best features:
Myles Garrett led the NFL with 5.5 sacks recorded in 2.5 seconds or less last season, per TruMedia.
Here's one of those sacks, against the Steelers. pic.twitter.com/vsMbqpPeQg
— Ryan McCrystal (@Ryan_McCrystal) June 16, 2022
Even if he doesn’t get the sack, his quick pressures make life easier on the secondary and open up opportunities for his fellow linemates.
Adding on to his ability to win quickly, Garrett has also been known to chase down plays from behind instead of giving up on them:
Myles Garrett on the chase down 👀#WeWantMore #NFLPlayoffs
📺: #CLEvsKC on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/H7Zs8a2m4U pic.twitter.com/SG7TEKWXBI— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2021
Garrett’s ability and effort, along with his impressive physique, make him a great cornerstone for Cleveland’s defense. The ability to win quickly and finish off the sack better than any other pass rusher while not giving up on plays made giving him a big extension last offseason an easy decision for the team.