Myles Garrett is coming off a season which he won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award, a culmination of being one of the elite pass rushers in the NFL for several seasons. Garrett reached the peak of individual defensive performance, but is far from satisfied with winning the honor.
Garrett wants more. How can he get better than the level he was at last year?
"The focus is finding a way to improve," Garrett said to CBS Sports reporter Evan Washburn. "Whether that's mentally, being a leader, being more vocal, leading by example. And then physically, how can I stay at the peak of my powers? I can work on some of the things I'm really good at, but also some of my weaknesses as well."
Garrett finished with 42 tackles, 30 quarterback hits, 14.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, and three passes defended in 16 games last season in earning Defensive Player of the Year honors. He also had 86 pressures, 57 hurries, and a pressure rate of 18.6%. Garrett has 88.5 sacks in 100 career games, the third-most in a player's first 100 games since 1982 (trailing only Reggie White and T.J. Watt).
The only player with 14+ sacks in each of the last three seasons, Garrett is also the only player with double-digit sacks in each of the last six seasons. He's tied with Von Miller for the most games with at least one sack and is one of just four players with 12+ sacks in at least four of his first seven career seasons, joining White (six), T.J. Watt (five) and DeMarcus Ware (four). His 0.89 sacks per game is second only to Watt (0.93) in NFL history.
Cleveland led the NFL in five defensive categories last season, which Garrett was the leader of the dominant unit. The Browns allowed 270.2 yards per game on the year (fewest since the 2014 Seattle Seahawks) and the 49% three-and-out rate was the best since the 2005 Tennessee Titans. Cleveland also led the league in yards per possession (20.7) and plays per possession (4.5), along with first-downs allowed per game (14.5).
Even though 2023 was arguably Garrett's best year in the NFL, he's seeking to improve his game and get even better. The Browns defense isn't as dominant without Garrett,
"During the offseason, I always try to find things I'm weak on," Garrett said. "There's ways to do that. The explosive work that we do, change of direction, and play recognition. But I can also work on some hand movements I'm not especially good at, or I can see that someone else is better than me at that position.
"Looking at them, seeing how I can improve. Just trying to get their process and using it to make it my own."