Cleveland Browns star pass rusher Myles Garrett has missed four straight practices this week. On Thursday, the public was finally informed why.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that the Browns relieved Garrett of his training camp obligations so that he could tend to a sick member of his family.
Myles Garrett was excused from practice … to be at the side of a gravely ill, close family member, but is on his way back to Cleveland and could be on the field for Friday’s second joint practice against the [Philadelphia] Eagles, a league source told Cleveland.com. The family member’s condition had worsened, and Garrett needed to be there.
The Browns gave him all the time he needed, which he greatly appreciated. Garrett missed the first joint practice against the Eagles on Thursday, and regular sessions Sunday through Tuesday.
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Garrett’s Time Away From Team Opened Chance For Browns’ Rookie
Getty ImagesDefensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns missed several practices over the last week due to a serious illness in his immediate family.
If there is any player on Cleveland’s roster who can afford to miss a few practices without falling off, it’s Garrett.
The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All Pro selection finished third in the NFL last season with 16 sacks. Garrett also racked up 51 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss, 33 quarterback hits, three passes defensed one forced fumble, one recovered fumble and one defensive touchdown, per Pro Football Reference.
Cabot reported that while Garrett has been away from the team, third-round draft pick Alex Wright has filled in with the first-string defense and “has made the most of it.”
Defensive end Stephen Weatherly, who the Browns brought in following his second stint with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021, was lost after sustaining a knee injury during practice on August 6. Weatherly will miss the entire season following surgery.
Garrett’s Return Coincides With Deshaun Watson’s Looming Exit
GettyQuarterback Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns throws a pass during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on July 27, 2022 in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Garrett’s return to team activities lines up closely with quarterback Deshaun Watson’s exit from them.
Watson and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) struck a bargain with the league on Thursday, after the NFL initially appealed his six-game suspension for violating its player code of conduct policy. Instead of sitting out six games, Watson will miss 11 regular season contests and pay a fine of $5 million, per ESPN. His suspension goes into effect on August 30.
While Garrett and the rest of the Browns defense are relatively set, save for a potential weakness in the middle of the defensive line, the offense now faces some big questions. Chief among them, is Jacoby Brissett the man for the job for the next two-thirds of the regular season?
Cleveland seemingly has two choices — either solidify the QB ranks by adding a proven backup behind Brissett or trade for a player like San Francisco 49ers signal caller Jimmy Garoppolo to upgrade the starting spot, pushing Brissett into a more natural backup role.
Brissett is 14-23 as a starter in the league. Josh Dobbs and Josh Rosen are the other two quarterbacks currently on the Browns roster. Rosen has a career record of 3-13 as a starter, while Dobbs has never started a regular season game for an NFL franchise.
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Heartbreaking Reason Behind Myles Garrett’s Absence From Browns Camp Revealed