Myles Garrett doesn't need me or anybody else to spend time touting his Defensive Player of the Year candidacy, but that won't stop folks from lining up to make the case for the Cleveland Browns superstar. After all, it's such an easy one to make. Before you take the time to dig into any of the numbers — all which paint a picture where Garrett is among the most impactful defensive players in the NFL — you could just make the simple case that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski made today: “He's the best player on the best defense in the league.”
Now Stefanski went on to say more than just that, but oftentimes, that single realization is enough to vault a player into the upper-echelon of candidacy for the award. And while the entire Browns defense is loaded with quality players, nobody is prepared to make the case that any one of them is more impactful on a down to down or game to game basis than Myles Garrett.
the way @Flash_Garrett is playing right now? DPOY worthy 💪 pic.twitter.com/MT8XSk94T2
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 18, 2023
Now I agree with a large chunk of what Kevin Stefanski says here, but there's one statement I need to push back on just a little bit:
“He's the Defensive Player of the Year and I don't think it's close.”
All due respect to both Stefanski AND Garrett, but I think the race is actually pretty close. We can't just ignore the fact that guys like TJ Watt, Micah Parsons, Danielle Hunter, Nick Bosa, Daron Bland and Antoine Winfield Jr. exist and are in the midst of stellar seasons. Don't get me wrong, Myles Garrett is as qualified to win the award as anyone else in the NFL. The Browns are the #1 defense in the league by many measures, and Garrett is arguably the biggest reason why. Cleveland has the 5th-highest pressure rate in the NFL, they're 1st in tackles for loss, 4th in sack percentage, and they allow the lowest completion percentage in the league. All of those numbers point to a destructive, Hulk-like presence up front. That man is Myles Garrett.
Kevin Stefanski points out that we get caught up in sack numbers and ignore other impactful plays, like Garrett stopping a toss against the Bears for a loss of six, which is essentially the equivalent of a sack. And while Stefanski isn't wrong about doing Garrett's candidacy a disservice by ONLY looking at sack numbers, you can't just completely ignore them either. Garrett's DPOY case is strengthened when you look at his sack numbers. He's got 13 sacks on the season — his sixth consecutive year with double-digit sacks — and four forced fumbles. He's got the highest pass rush grade in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
My imaginary vote is still up for grabs, and Myles Garrett has as good of a chance as anyone else to be the name I write down on my imaginary ballot as season's end.
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