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CLEVELAND, Ohio — Myles Garrett would’ve gladly given back his record-setting 5.0 sacks last week in New England for the victory, but they just might prove to be career-altering when all is said and done. The quintet of sacks catapulted Garrett back into contention for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and for the NFL season sack title, which were two of his stated goals in preseason. If he earns NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, it will be the second time in three seasons. Heading into the Browns’ bye weekend, he’s the betting runner-up to Green Bay’s Micah Parsons to earn the prestigious award again. But that’s not all. The outburst, achieved in the Browns 32-13 loss that dropped them to 2-6, doubled Garrett’s sack total to 10 and puts another coveted milestone within reach: the NFL regular season sack record. More Cleveland Browns coverage How unproductive have the Browns’ receivers been?: By the numbers Browns trade rumors, Cavaliers stumble vs. Celtics: Thursday’s Sports 4 CLE Who’s to blame for the Browns’ woeful passing game? Film review Held sackless for three straight games from Weeks 4-6, Garrett is now on pace for a career-high 21.0 sacks, which would surpass the club record of 16.0 he set in 2021 and matched in 2022. That’s 1 1/2 shy of the NFL single-season record set by the Giants’ Michael Strahan in 2001 and tied 20 years later by the Steelers’ T.J. Watt, in 2021. It was one of the lofty goals Garrett set for himself before he was drafted No. 1 by the Browns in 2017 out of Texas A&M. “I’ve gotta win Defensive Player of the Year, whether it’s my first year or anywhere down the line, but that’s what I’m going for in my first year,’’ he told ESPN the Magazine back then. “I want to be the sack leader. I want to lead in TFLs (tackle for loss). I want to be dominant from day one. I want the single-season sack record.’’ He also said “I want to be in the career top 10 for sacks, but I don’t know if I’ll play that long.’’ Garrett has already checked off the NFL DPOY box, and now has a bona fide chance to add season sack title and NFL single-season sack record to his resume this year. And even though NFL DPOY often goes to a defender on a winning team, Garrett might be too dominant this year to overlook. Surpassing Reggie White (108) in New England last week with the most sacks for a player under the age of 30 at 112.5, Garrett is currently No. 27 on the official NFL all-time sack list. That’s 25.0 shy of the two players tied at No. 10 with 137.5, Richard Dent and John Randle. Garrett also has three active players ahead of him on the list in Von Miller, tied for 13th with 133.3; Cam Jordan, 20th with 124.0; and Calais Campbell 25th with 113.5. Two other active players are close behind in T.J. Watt, tied for 28th with 112.0, and Khalil Mack, 32nd with 110.5. It means that Garrett, who’s under contract with the Browns through 2030, has a realistic chance of cracking the top 10 by the time he’s done. If the Patriots had chipped and doubled him as much as he’s used to, he could’ve slid further down the sack leader board. Heading into that game, he was tied for 10th in the NFL with four other players at 5.0. “They gave me more one-on-ones than some other teams,” Garrett said after the game. “We also created that by moving me around, putting me in different positions and trying to just be unpredictable with my location on the field. It worked out. There were still different looks that they gave us, different kind of chips and all that, but found a way to get free and make plays for the team.” Garrett’s 5.0 sacks, which shattered the single-game club record of 4.5 he set in 2021 vs. the Bears, drew praise from his teammates. “It was special,” left guard Joel Bitonio said Monday. “I think we all know, anybody who’s paid attention to the NFL, he’s the best defensive player in the league, best pass rusher. Sometimes sacks don’t always tell the story, and to get a game where he gets five sacks is as impressive as heck. “We all know who’ve been here how hard he is to block and the things he can do on a football field. So it was impressive. I wish we would’ve played better for him yesterday so it could be a little bit more celebrated, but it was an incredible performance.” Defensive end Alex Wright, who emulates the future Hall of Famer and has grown close to him, described the record-breaking performance as unreal. “One of one,” he said Monday. “Myles is definitely in his own category as far as pass rushers that’s ever come into the football league and just for him to do it at a certain age, getting to set the records at the age he is now and just seeing how he carries himself and how he works on his body and stuff like that, it just proves that he could be in the league for as many more years as he wants to be. So there’s no drop-off with him. And the thing is, even though he has five, he was never satisfied. ‘I want to get six. I want to get as many as left before the clock hits.’ “So just for him to stay hungry, have that drive, it’s kind of contagious throughout the D-line room. You see him on the other side, you see how hungry he gets to the quarterback. So it kind of feeds off to the others. We could get to the quarterback also. It ain’t just got to be him. We could take the load off him a little bit. But just seeing him achieve that and just being on the side of him physically and just congratulating him, it’s a lot just to witness it.” Like Bitonio, Wright lamented that the career game came in a loss. “It’s really frustrating,” he said. “That’s just as truthful as you can put it. It’s like somebody in basketball dropping a career high and 50 points and you get to the quarterback this many times and then just to not leave with a win, not only it’s frustrating, but it’s like, damn, what else can I do? But the best thing you can do is just try to stay positive about it. The more you put in the work, it’s going to come to fruition one day. He could get five sacks when we get back, and it’ll feel a whole lot better with a win.” In the meantime, Garrett has an excellent chance to reach a few more of the monumental goals he set for himself as a rookie.
