Myles Garrett out with high ankle sprain; Tyrone Holmes back in

The Cleveland Browns will be without Myles Garrett for Sunday’s game after he injured his ankle in practice. How long he is out after remains in question.

The Cleveland Browns confirmed everyone’s fears on Thursday morning by announcing the defensive end Myles Garrett suffered a high ankle sprain and will miss time.

Garrett is definitely out for Sunday’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers and his status will be updated “in a couple of weeks,” according to the team’s website.

To fill Garrett’s hole on the defensive line, the Browns resigned defensive end Tyrone Holmes, who performed well in the preseason but was inexplicably released over the weekend. Technically the Browns made room for Holmes by releasing offensive lineman Zach Sterup, according to the team’s website.

With Garrett’s injury the Browns will head into the game against the Steelers with a defensive end rotation of Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Nassib, Holmes and Nate Orchard, who was limited in practice on Wednesday as he continues to recover from a groin injury that plagued him throughout the preseason.

As sprain is obviously better than a break, but a high ankle sprain is worse than a “regular” sprain as it can take longer to recover, according to webmd.com:

"High ankle sprains occur when there’s damage to the fibrous tissue and ligaments that are located above the ankle (hence the “high”). These tissues provide stability and connection between the two bones in the shin (the tibia and fibula). In contrast, the common ankle sprain — where the foot rolls in or out — affects the ligaments in the lower ankle and foot. Studies show that players who suffer from high ankle sprains can be sidelined twice as long as those with a regular ankle sprain."

Garrett played through a high ankle sprain in 2016 while at Texas A&M. The sprain limited him, but he was still enough of a force to finish with 8.5 sacks and become the consensus No. 1 selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.

In theory Garrett could try to play through the injury, but it appears that everyone involved is taking the prudent approach of letting him heal. While it would be nice for Garrett to make his debut on Sunday in front of the home fans, the Browns and Garrett need to stay focused on the bigger picture, and if Garrett has to sit for the first few weeks of the season in order to be healthy the rest of the way, so be it.

Next: DPD Podcast: Previewing Week 1

All in all, just another typical week in Browns Town.