Myles Garrett’s return brings life back to a defense that crumbled in his absence: Browns Take

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett heads to the locker room after throwing his gloves to a fan

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett heads to the locker room after throwing his gloves to a fan after the game. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is back.

The NFL announced his reinstatement Wednesday after he served what proved to be a six-game suspension for his actions against Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in Week 11.

Though his return was expected, the timing couldn’t be better for Cleveland.

With coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry busy making roster decisions ahead of the new league year and free agency starting March 18, the duo will not have to worry about carrying Garrett’s replacement on the roster any longer.

In the short term, that is likely a relief for them.

Outside of the instant roster clarification his return provides, the impact of Garrett retaking his spot as a Browns starting defensive end won’t be felt until September. But looking backward helps identify just how valuable he is to the Browns.

When the season started, Garrett had Defensive Player of the Year aspirations. He was entering his third year after an All-Pro 2018 performance. The defense was built around Garrett and a deep secondary, which aided the out-of-control preseason hype around Cleveland.

Of course, much of the Browns’ 2019 expectations came from an offense featuring Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. But after a shaky offensive start, it became clear the defense was keeping them in games. From Weeks 2-4, the Browns held opponents to 16 points per game. The Browns went 2-1 over that stretch, beating the Jets and Ravens. They held the Rams to 20 points only to have the offense waste a chance at victory with a final-minute failure at the goal line.

Over those three weeks, the Browns held the eighth-best defensive DVOA according to Football Outsiders at -9.1 percent. (Football Outsiders’ DVOA measures a team’s efficiency by comparing success on every play to a league average based on situation and opponent.)

Led by Garrett, Cleveland flustered Rams quarterback Jared Goff and baited him into two interceptions and a 79 passer rating.

The Browns kept their defensive momentum rolling with a blowout win in Baltimore the following week. Though Garrett only had one hurry against Baltimore, he was pivotal in containing the eventual NFL MVP as the Ravens went 4-of-10 on third down. The Browns limited Lamar Jackson in the pocket and didn’t allow him to extend plays. Having an end as athletic as Garrett makes containing Jackson possible.

Everyone saw what happened later in the season when Cleveland played the Ravens without him.

The Browns fluttered to 3-6 but faced one of the league’s weakest back-end schedules and could move to 2-0 in the AFC North by beating Pittsburgh in Week 11. Cleveland did just that, limiting the Steelers to 58 yards rushing.

Then the helmet swing happened and nothing was the same.

In 10 games with Garrett, the Browns allowed 121 rushing yards per game. Without him, that number jumped to 174 per game, including 648 yards in their final three, an average of 216 yards.

The defense plummeted in every major category and Cleveland finished with the 22nd-best defensive DVOA at 6.3 percent.

Despite playing only 10 games, Garrett led Browns defenders in sacks (10), pressures (29) and hurries (10). The defense never recovered, and former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks lost his job.

Garrett damaged his reputation and lost nearly $1.5 million by getting suspended. As a result, his defense and team suffered. Along the way, though, Garrett’s value to the defense became evident, both by the numbers and the team’s sunken morale.

The locker room was not the same in 2019 after that infamous Thursday night game. It changed again on Wednesday with Garrett’s return.

This time, for the better.


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