Analyzing the Cleveland Browns depth chart at defensive end
By Randy Gurzi
The unquestioned leader: Myles Garrett
When the Browns had the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, it was pretty apparent that they were going after Myles Garrett from Texas A&M. The talented pass rusher was far and away the top candidate on most boards, which made the pick seem easy.
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However, their need for a signal-caller continued to be at the forefront of most of our minds which made it seem likely that they could go a different direction. That clearly didn’t happen as Garrett was their guy — and they still skipped a quarterback later when given the chance which is cool now that they have Baker Mayfield.
As a rookie, Garrett showed sparks but also dealt with some nagging injuries. Healthy throughout 2018, he looked ready to prove he was worthy of the lofty draft status. Garrett posted 13.5 sacks but oftentimes disappeared for long stretches.
That could be due to him being limited some by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. After he was gone, members of the team said he was holding them back and Garrett even alluded to Williams telling him to stick with just two pass rush moves.
This year, new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks looks ready to let Garrett loose. The team is confident that he can bring out the best in the leader of this D-line, which is bad news for opposing offensive linemen who will be tasked with slowing him down.