Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski raved about defensive lineman Myles Garrett this week, saying he deserves to win a very special honor this season.
“He won’t be denied, gets the guy on the ground,” Stefanski said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “I think what happens with our game, we get so wrapped up in sacks, he makes a play on a crack toss late in the game that loses six yards. And if it’s a sack, people think it adds to the statistics or whatever. He’s dominant as a defensive player, so he’s the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.”
Garrett has certainly been dominant this season, racking up 36 tackles, 13 sacks, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three passes defended in 14 games.
Not only does Stefanski think that Garrett is the Defensive Player of the Year, but he doesn’t even think anyone else comes close.
“I don’t think it’s close, and he’s going to finish strong for this football team, but to get so wrapped up as we do as a football society when it comes to sacks, I mean just talk about the guy that affects the game, that pressures the quarterback, that plays the run, that plays with unbelievable effort. I don’t know that there’s anybody in the same realm as him,” Stefanski said.
The reason Stefanski is focusing so much on sacks in the discussion is because Garrett has now gone four straight games without registering a sack, which comes after a stretch of five consecutive contests where the star pass rusher logged at least one sack. As a matter of fact, between Weeks 1 and 10, there were only two instances where Garrett didn’t get to the quarterback.
Garrett, who played his collegiate football at Texas A&M, was selected by the Browns with the No. 1 overall pick.
Since then, the 27-year-old has established himself as one of the best defenders in football, making four trips to the Pro Bowl while earning a couple of First-Team All-Pro selections.
Going into 2023, Myles Garrett had posted two straight 16-sack campaigns. He was on pace to shatter the 16-sack mark this season, but his recent stretch is making it difficult for him to achieve that feat.
Cleveland is 9-5 on the year and will head on the road to battle the Houston Texans this Sunday. It will then face the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals to close out the regular season.
The Browns currently hold the first Wild Card spot in the AFC.
