Browns: 5 defensive takeaways from Week 2 loss

Browns missing Myles Garrett’s pass rushing abilities

The Browns had a problem getting to Ben Roethlisberger in Week 1 and once again failed to get to Joe Flacco on Sunday. Cleveland only sacked Flacco twice and missed on several more opportunities. It’s already crystal clear the Browns can’t wait to get Myles Garrett back on this defense as his presence alone adds stress to quarterbacks.

The variety of moves Garrett has in his arsenal is tough to comprehend and even more difficult to predict. Flacco is an above-average quarterback who knows how to get rid of the football when he has to, which he did against the Browns on Sunday.

Stick a guy like Garrett on the end, though, and that forces a guy like Flacco to hopefully make a bad decision leading to a turnover. Having an elite edge-rusher is the most valuable asset to a football team behind the quarterback position for good reason. Injuries aside, there has been no reason to believe Myles Garrett won’t be a franchise player.

Gregg Williams will be one happy man once he’s able to unleash Garrett with this young, quick defense. It will supply the defense with its most important weapon, leaving others to focus solely on their particular assignment.

As good as the defense has looked in the first two weeks for the Cleveland Browns, it will only go upwards when Garrett returns. The defense dominated the Steelers’ run game in Week 1 but the Ravens exploded for 136 rushing yards without an elite player like Le’Veon Bell.

It’s early in the 2017 NFL season, so this will happen. But Browns fans can’t expect the defense to hold offenses to 15 points as long as Garrett is recovering from his injury. Once he returns, all bets are off and a few weeks together and this defense’s potential is the sky.