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Myles Garrett was benched for a series against the New Orleans Saints but the Cleveland Browns star isn’t harboring any bad feelings about the punishment.
News of Garrett’s benching and attached fine quickly made the rounds after the loss, with the Browns being questioned for their decision to sit the Pro Bowl pass rusher — even just for a few plays — in a must-win game.
There was speculation about the move — which wiped a start from Garrett’s resume — impacting his relationship with the franchise and head coach Kevin Stefanski, who said it was his call to hold Garrett out.
However, Garrett was clear that he understood the decision, although he failed to expand any further.
“That was coach’s decision based on what happened during the week and I respect his decision,” Garrett said with a slight grin on Friday. “I was sick and I didn’t communicate well enough.”
Asked again if he agreed with the punishment, Garrett shrugged and reiterated: “I respect the decision.”
Garrett is one of the top defenders in the league and a leader for the Browns. His presence is a noticeable absence and he understands how it looked to the world outside of the locker room.
“It’s a bad look for a starter and just in general,” Garrett said. “Just can’t put myself in that situation.”
Browns Have Had ‘Multiple Issues’ Through Year
Stefanski said that he doesn’t expect the issue with Garrett to have a lasting impact. It’s a tactic he’s used with multiple players this season — notably safety Grant Delpit earlier in the year. The Browns also decided to make rookie defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey a healthy scratch earlier this season, which appeared to stem from disciplinary issues.
“We just obviously don’t want to have any issues,” Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods said. “Throughout the year, we’ve had multiple issues with certain guys, so those are definitely things we want to clean up. But in terms of him as a leader, I felt like [Garrett] really tried to step up and do a good job for us this year.”
Garrett ended up playing just over two-thirds of the snaps against the Saints, which was below his average for the season. It was likely for a variety of reasons, including game flow in the frigid weather and the fact that he’s been dealing with a shoulder injury he suffered during a car crash earlier this year.
Garrett has 13.5 sacks this season and could still push for the league lead if he puts together some big games.
Clowney Still Questionable Despite Practicing
Garrett’s partner in crime Jadeveon Clowney missed last week’s game with a concussion but returned to practice this week. Despite that, he still hasn’t been fully cleared to play and he remains questionable for Sunday’s game against the Commanders.
Clowney is also dealing with an illness, which saw him miss Thursday’s practice. He has also dealt with an ankle injury this season and Alex Wright would replace him with the starting group if he’s unable to go.
Clowney has 22 tackles and just two sacks this season. But his presence on the edge opposite of Garrett has been extremely important for the Browns this season in both the run and pass game. He’s graded out at a solid 75.8 on Pro Football Focus, with 26 total pressures.
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