Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett gaining invaluable experience in camp
Cleveland Browns number one overall pick Myles Garrett gets to practice against one of the greatest to ever play the game all throughout training camp.
It is not often the case that a Cleveland Browns player can get better by practicing against his own team.
The lackluster rosters of the past have had some talent, but there were very few battles between offense and defense that were worthy of discussion.
That is different this year as Myles Garrett now gets to go up against Joe Thomas on a daily basis, pitting a rising star against one of the greatest to ever play the left tackle position.
Garrett has moved up to working with the first-team defense, meaning he now lines up against the first-team offense. One quote from Garrett in an article written by ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon sheds light on the exciting battle between the two linemen.
"“I think I beat him on the last rush,” Garrett said. “But there was a rush where I tried to ‘bull,’ and he started to slow me down. Then [Joel] Bitonio came and basically stopped me in my tracks. I heard Joe whisper to me, ‘nice try.’ That’s going against one of the world’s best. You’re going to get better each day by doing that.”"
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Garrett is a humble individual and it is nice to see him realize how he can get better each day going against Thomas, who has seen all the best moves from defensive linemen since entering the league in 2007.
The fact Garrett gets to go up against a Browns legend every single day gives him an advantage over all other players at his position. He can try things on Thomas who can then explain why the move did or didn’t work, as Joe Thomas is rarely going to get beat by anyone, let alone a rookie.
This kind of preseason experience should help Garrett advance beyond the level of other rookies, as he is learning not only from the coaches, but from someone playing the position he will battle against all season.
Thomas’ name has periodically come up in trade talks the past few seasons, but keeping him in Cleveland has benefits that range far beyond the actual games. His work with Garrett illustrates that, and makes him even more valuable than he was before.
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Let’s just hope Thomas doesn’t discourage Garrett too much over the next month.