Browns defensive end Myles Garrett went over 100 sacks for his career with a sack of Joe Burrow during Sunday’s game.
Late in the second quarter, Garrett beat Browns offensive lineman Cody Ford to wrap up Burrow and become the youngest player to reach the mark.
the play that got @flash_garrett to number 100! #CLEvsCIN | @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/D8ygRqsG4K
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 22, 2024
Garrett, the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, becomes just the fifth player since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to reach 100 in his first eight seasons. He has played six games in Cincinnati over the course of his career and has recorded at least one sack each time.
“The approach every week (is) get as many as you can, dominate, disrupt, help the team win, have fun doing it,” Garrett said last week. “So, it makes it no different that I’m half a sack away from 100 or any other milestone. Just want to go out there and win.”
Garrett, the franchise’s all-time sack leader with 100.5, turns 29 next weekend. Last Friday, Garrett used his weekly media availability to send a not-so-subtle message to the folks in charge of the Browns when it comes to winning. Though Garrett had previously answered any question about his future by saying he was planning to be in Cleveland, he took a different tone recently, saying he needs to see a plan from the front office that he believes can help the Browns get back to winning.
“First of all, I want to win and I want the Browns to be able to put me and us in position to win,” Garrett said. “And 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 I can see in the near future. Cause that’s all we want to do. I want to stay loyal to a team that shows loyalty to me and faith in me by drafting me. But we have to do, at the end of the day, what’s best for us. 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, time of possession, running game, offense, getting all the guys back.
“And I think that would really keep my mind at rest, keep me settled. And 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 top down.”
Garrett is under contract through 2026. The Browns entered Sunday’s game at 3-11 and have made just two playoff appearances in Garrett’s eight seasons. The team is headed for an uncertain future with an aging roster and more than $170 million in salary-cap commitments to injured quarterback Deshaun Watson, who’s also under contract through 2026.
Garrett entered Sunday fifth in the NFL in sacks with 11 but just 1.5 behind the league leader, Trey Hendrickson of the Bengals. If Garrett gets to 14 sacks this season, he’ll become the first player to record 14 sacks in four consecutive seasons.
Required reading
(Photo: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)
