Cleveland Browns star pass-rusher Myles Garrett doesn’t want to be part of a potential rebuild.
“Well, for me, I mean first of all I want to win,” Garrett said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “I want the Browns to be able to put me and us in position to win. I’m not trying to rebuild. I’m trying to win right now. I want that to be apparent, when the season’s over and we have those discussions, I want them to be able to illuminate that for me, illustrate that for me, so that can be something that I can see in the near future.”
The Browns currently sit at 3-11 this season after making the playoffs in 2023, but Garrett acknowledged that injuries to multiple key players have impacted the team’s poor record.
“But we have to do, at the end of the day, what’s best for us,” Garrett said, via Cabot. “So if we have that alignment where this is something that is still possible in the near future, winning, going deep in the playoffs, putting a great defense out there, having a time of possession, running-game offense. Getting all the guys back. I think that would really keep my mind at rest, keep me settled.”
“Not just mine, a lot of the guys on the defense, the D-line, around the team, but we have to continue to take strides forward, not just as players, but from the top down,” he added.
The 28-year-old also discussed the possibility of moving on from Cleveland if the team decides to rebuild, but he expressed his current desire to remain with the organization.
“I mean, it’s a possibility, but I want to be a Cleveland Brown,” Garrett said. “I want to play here, play my career here. But if we choose to do a rebuild and it’s two, three, four years out, I want be able to compete and play at a high level, play meaningful games and be playing past January.”
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has been one of the few bright spots for the Browns this season, as he’s continued to wreck opposing backfields.
In 14 starts, Garrett has racked up 11 sacks, 41 pressures, 38 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. He has reached double-digit sack totals in each of the past seven seasons.
His 23 percent pass-rush win rate is the fifth-highest mark in the NFL through Week 15’s action, per ESPN.
Cleveland’s defense as a whole has taken a step back in 2024, though. After the Browns ranked No. 13 among all teams by allowing 21.3 points per game last season, they now rank No. 26 this year by giving up 25.4 points each week.
The team’s long-term outlook is murky, as starting quarterback Deshaun Watson struggled mightily in seven starts before a ruptured Achilles ended his season. Watson is still under contract in 2025 and 2026.
Four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb didn’t make his season debut until Week 7 after recovering from knee surgery. Chubb appeared in eight games before suffering a broken foot that will keep him out for the rest of the year.
The Browns have won at least seven games in each of their prior four seasons under head coach Kevin Stefanski, which could provide optimism that the team will bounce back in 2025.
However, Garrett doesn’t appear to be willing to stick around if Cleveland ultimately chooses to rebuild its roster.
