BEREA, Ohio — For Myles Garrett, it’s not a matter of if he’ll shatter the NFL single-season sack record of 22.5, but when and by how much.
And as always with Garrett, it’s go big or go home.
“I don’t even think about it as a want, I’m just thinking about it as something that we’re going to knock down,” he said. “It’s already been written in my mind that it’s going, it’s just how far I’m going to take it. So just going to go out there, do what I do and whatever number I end up at.”
Does he have a number in mind?
“It’s written on my tape, so if y’all fortunate enough to see it, then you all will know.”
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett hits Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith in the second half of play. . Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
A study of photos from the Browns’ 24-10 victory over the Raiders last Sunday reveals a “25” on his left wrist tape, which is actually a modest goal for this season. It’s a number he’s had etched on his tape since at least Week 2.
With an NFL record 14 sacks over his last five games, Garrett now has a league-leading total of 18, and is on pace for 28 this season, which beats the record by 5.5. Good luck to the next guy, although an 18-game season is right around the corner.
“Really it’s all thanks to my teammates,” Garrett said. “I wouldn’t be here in the position I’m in to even challenge the record without them. Those guys have helped to elevate my game and hopefully I’ve helped elevate them as well. The level of chemistry and synergy that we’ve been rolling with, especially after the Vikings, after the Steelers, I think I got back healthy and guys are feeling good and we’ve really been playing up to our potential since then.”
Browns No. 5 overall pick Mason Graham, who’s still looking for his first full sack of the season, is only too happy to oblige. His rabid interior rush has helped Garrett topple records as well as quarterbacks.
“I always joke about it because I don’t have a full sack yet, so I’m like, as long as it’s going to a good cause,” Graham said. “So as long as he gets that, then I’m all cool with it.”
Garrett’s three sacks of Geno Smith during the Browns’ 10-sack outburst last Sunday set the Browns record at 18, breaking his own mark of 16 set in 2021 and 2022, and earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time this season. The week before, he broke legendary edge rusher Lawrence Taylor’s NFL record of five straight seasons with at least 12 sacks by achieving the dazzling dozen in six straight seasons.
The milestone earned him a shoutout last Sunday on X by Taylor, the greatest defender of all time.
“Ton of respect for how this dude goes about his business…” Taylor posted. “He’s been doing it on another level for a long time now… there’s only so many who truly alter gameplans and keep the other side up @ night. Keep doing your thing Myles !!!!”
The acknowledgement meant a lot to Garrett, who’s always wanted to be the G.O.A.T.
“Man, it’s amazing,” Garrett said. “I’d love to hear it in person. I know it comes from him, but I’d like to meet him and get the opportunity to get some wisdom from the man himself, but it’s a hell of an honor.”
Taylor was on radio row at the Super Bowl last year when Garrett was there in the midst of his trade-me tour, but their paths didn’t cross. Perhaps it will happen this year. In the meantime, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz believes Garrett deserves NFL MVP consideration as well as NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.
“He certainly has those kinds of credentials,” Schwartz said. “I’m not a voter; I don’t really know what goes into all those things. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a more valuable player in the NFL. I think a little bit falls into some of the things that come out, like Player of the Week and things like that.
“You know, Myles had five sacks in one game, four sacks in another, bunch of tackles for losses, really dominating play and didn’t win those awards because we had lost the game probably, I don’t know. We won this last one, he won – so winning certainly has a lot to do with it. But you know, when you’re talking about most valuable player, it’s tough to keep him out of that conversation.”
NFL MVP is exactly where Schwartz set the bar for Garrett in training camp.
“I really think the next step for Myles is not Defensive Player of the Year,” Schwartz said Aug. 4. “He’s sort of been there, done that. Next step for him is MVP candidate. And if we’re playing good on defense and he’s at the heart of that, I think he’s in that conversation. He’s obviously a marked man in every game. Sees doubles, people, we move him around, he still wears number 95, right? He still looks like he does. So it’s easy for opponents to find him.
“But my definition of a great player is when the opponent says, ‘We’re taking this guy out, this guy’s not going to beat us,’ and he can still have that production and that effectiveness. It sets a big, big standard and big statement.”
Schwartz, who also noted “rate of the pack determined by the lead dog,” also challenged Garrett after his big trade demand and $40 million a year extension to give the Browns a good return on their investment.
“I really think Myles is going to have the best season of his career. And has to, right?” Schwartz said with a laugh in minicamp. “I’ve told him before, what’s that Spider-Man quote, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ With the big contract, with the notoriety that came along with that, with the process that took to get him to that point, there’s always pressure in this league but probably a little bit more so. But I think that brings out the best in players, and I know that will be the case with Myles also.”
Garrett has taken all of that to heart, including owner Jimmy Haslam’s mandate to become “a real leader” for the team. But he wants to be known for more than just his QB takedowns. Schwartz and Kevin Stefanski always laud his run defense, and he’s also taken that to another level. He’s recorded a league-high 26 tackles for a loss this season, including 18 over his blistering five-game stretch.
And while the single-season sack record is about to get planted by him, the TFL mark of 39 just might perish too.
“I want to be remembered as one of the very best at the position, and that includes being well-rounded with the run and pass,” he said. “I know the record for TFLs is 39 and I feel like I can go and challenge that. That’s not out of reach either. So I’ve got to continue this level of play and elevate and pick it up as much as I can. As much as people want to see me break the sack record, I think there are other things out there which I want to achieve and I think will help the team win.”
On Sunday, he’ll go against future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams, a 15th-year pro. Garrett didn’t get past him to sack Brock Purdy in the Browns’ 19-17 victory here in 2023. But Williams was asked by reporters Wednesday if he’s lost sleep over facing Garrett, with whom he exchanged jerseys in 2023.
“No not yet, but I’m sure I will,” he said. “I lied, yeah I have … He’s one of the best to ever play and he has no weaknesses.”
On Williams saying he’ll lose sleep over the matchup, Garrett chuckled.
“I doubt it,” he said. “The man’s a Hall of Famer. He’s seen a whole bunch of great rushers along his time. I love the challenge. I know I haven’t gotten Purdy and put him in the graveyard, so we’ve got to make that happen and he’s an obstacle and they’re going to have other things that they throw my way.
“Hopefully the weather holds up a little bit so they even have to throw the ball, but he’s one of the best to do it. So I look forward to the challenge and continuing on this streak that we’re on.”
With four home games in the next five, Garrett has a good chance of shattering the sack record at Huntington Bank Field, but sacks could be hard to come by on Sunday. In addition to Williams blocking Garrett, Purdy has only been sacked three times this season in his four starts, and the 49ers offensive line is ranked No. 6 in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s a far cry from the 31st ranked Raiders line and that gave up 10 sacks to the Browns last week.
“There’s going to be a variety of different looks, variety of different schemes, whether it’s slides or chips or (doubles), all kinds of things,” Garrett said. “I do think they’re playing at a high level all across the board. We’ve got to do what we do. We can’t worry too much about them or any numbers. We try to make the plays that we can make, and if he gets the ball off quick, we have to knock it down. If we can keep a few points off the board and take an early lead, then we can kind of pin our ears back like we did last week.”
Schwartz, for one, is eager for the rematch.
“That’s Hall of Fame versus Hall of Fame right there,” he said. “That’s the NFL marquee matchup right there. Yeah, we move Myles around quite a bit, and we have over the years. Maybe a little bit more so this year. So, we’re going to continue in the same vein.”
He admires the respect the two greats have for each other, and “I’ve gone against Trent Williams a long time. He might be the best – if not the best left tackle, one of the very best left tackles that this league has seen since he’s been in the league.”
Kevin Stefanski heard all about Williams from former Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan.
“He would tell stories about how good this guy was physically off the field, in the meeting room, just how smart he was,” he said. “But you just watch his tape, he’s had some of the great highlights that are on every offensive line coaches highlight reel, about how to down block or how to do a certainly pass block. But the combination of his size, his length and his play demeanor – how hard he plays, how physical he plays, I think that’s what makes him great.”
But Garrett is on a mission this season, and Williams just so happens to be the next guy in the way.
Football Insider newsletter free trial: Take a minute and sign up for a free trial of our Football Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive content from cleveland.com’s Browns reporters.