CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 14: Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns pauses on the field during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Well, this is a huge down for the Browns
The Cleveland Browns are in a tight race for an AFC wild card title. That race became closer to win with the news on their star defender executed to miss time.
The Browns announced Friday morning they had placed defensive end Myles Garrett on the COVID-19/reserve list. He will be inactive for Sunday’s game against the Eagles for the first time this season.
The team announced that a player had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier that week and that “zero high-risk contacts have been identified.” It seems as if Garrett could have been the player. Entering Sunday fellow standouts Jacks Conklin and kicker Cody Parkey are both on the list as well, but Browns coach Kevin Stefanski believes they should be cleared before kickoff.
Garret’s Defensive Player of the Year season will be hitting a snag entering the closing months of the 2020 season. So far, the former No.1 overall pick t leads the league with 9.5 sacks and also is first in forced fumbles with four. For the season, Garrett has tallied 31 total tackles and 14 quarterback hits.
Is this a warning sign of what’s to come Sunday?
Garrett’s production has been a staple to the Browns’ success on defense this season. Of the team’s 22 sacks, 12.5 come from all other Cleveland defenders combine. Take away Garrett’s numbers when attacking the quarterback and he carries roughly 43 percent of the Browns takedowns.
The Eagles’ offense has been in shambles this season due to regression from both Carson Wentz and the offensive line. With injuries and age catching up on the 2018 Super Bowl champions, the rotational unit of has-beens and rookies is leading to a career-low in passing for their franchise quarterback. Philadelphia also leads the NFL for most sacks on the year with 35.
The way Philadelphia’s offensive line looks, losing Garrett this weekend might be alright if the other defenders step up. However, if to miss more time, this could become problematic should he miss games against Tennessee and Baltimore to begin December.