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Myles Garrett was among the bevy Cleveland Browns stars who did not play against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. Following the game his head coach Freddie Kitchens revealed why.
Kitchens said Garrett — the Browns former No. 1 overall pick and star defensive end — was “banged up” during the team’s joint practice with the Colts on Thursday.
“It happened on one of the very last plays the other day,” Kitchens said. “He’ll be fine. But if they’re a little banged up, I’m going to make sure they’re fine. If we would have played a game, he would have been out there.”
Kitchens did not disclose what kind of injury the defensive end was dealing with, but it doesn’t sound serious.
Garrett made the Pro Bowl last season, notched 44 total tackles, including 35 solo stops, playing in all 16 games. He also recorded 13.5 sacks, coming up just a half-sack short of the tying Reggie Camp’s 35-year-old single-season franchise record.
He expressed his goals for this season during an interview The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones.
“I want to be the best player in the league, and that takes consistency and attention to detail,” Garrett said. “I have to always make sure that I’m tuned in to the call, and make sure I’m making the most out of each play and not taking any plays off. I think the sky is the limit now, not only for me but for this team. I think we all can come together and do something special.”
Browns Backup Quarterback Garrett Gilbert Impresses Against Colts
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GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Garrett Gilbert.
The Browns wanted to see what Garrett Gilbert could do, and the journeyman QB proved himself in a big way.
Gilbert started the game and in one half of action was 13-of-19 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Gilbert is currently in a competition with veteran Drew Stanton for the backup job to Baker Mayfield.
“My job, my goal really everyday is to simply go out and improve and be the best quarterback I can be for this team,” Gilbert told reporters in his post game press conference. “Where I fall on the depth chart, any of that stuff, it doesn’t matter to me. It’s all about improving every day and from there the chips will fall where they may.”
Garrett came over from the now defunct AAF. Previous to that, he was sixth-round pick of the St. Louis Rams back in 2014 and bounced around the league.
One of the few success stories to emerge from the league, Gilbert was 157-of-259 for 2,152 yards with 13 touchdowns with the Orlando Apollos. Gilbert and Mayfield went to the same high school — Lake Travis in Texas.
Browns RB D’Ernest Johnson Has Strong Outing
As Gilbert did, Browns running back D’Ernest Johnson made a case for a backup role with a strong performance against the Colts.
Dontrell Hilliard is currently holding the backup spot to Nick Chubb for the first half of the season, but missed Saturday’s game nursing a hamstring injury. With a heavier than expected workload, Johnson made an impact against Indy.
Johnson had 10 carries for 53 yards for a nice 5.3 average, looking explosive on his runs. He also caught a touchdown in the first half to put the Browns up 14-7. He had three grabs in all for 36 yards and looked solid in protection.
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