Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has been a first-team All-Pro in four of the last five seasons and was the NFL’s defensive player of the year in 2023, but Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz says the best is yet to come from Garrett.
Schwartz said that there’s additional pressure on Garrett after he asked for a trade this offseason and then was convinced to stay in Cleveland by getting a new contract that makes him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL. And Schwartz said Garrett will rise to the occasion because of that pressure.
“I really think Myles is going to have the best year of his career,” Schwartz said. “Has to, right? I’ve told him before — what’s that Spiderman quote? — with great power comes great responsibility. With the big contract, with the notoriety that came along with that, the process that it took to get him to that point, there’s always pressure in this league, but probably a little more so. And I think that brings out the best in players and I know that will be the case with Myles also.”
Schwartz’s confidence comes even though Garrett has declined to participate in the Browns’ voluntary offseason work, which has raised some eyebrows given the investment of a four-year, $160 million contract the Browns made in him.
The Browns could have granted Garrett’s trade request, acquired a lot of draft picks and saved a lot of salary cap space, and that would have made a lot of sense for a rebuilding team. That the Browns instead doubled down on Garrett shows how much they still believe he can help them build a winner in Cleveland. Now it’s on him to prove them right. Schwartz thinks he will.