5 Cleveland Browns to watch vs. the Texans

1. Myles Garrett, Defensive End

Defensive end, Myles Garrett, went three weeks in a row with a strip-sack and has 9 sacks in eight games this season. Before the tweaking of his ankle a few weeks back, there was a case to be made that he was in the running for the defensive MVP trophy. While that is still attainable, he has lost a little bit of ground because of only playing a limited number of snaps in the last few weeks.

Ankles can be a tricky one, but let’s hope the additional week off will get Garrett back to 100 percent and he will be able to go for at least 80 percent of the snaps on Sunday. Playing against all-time great J.J. Watt on the other side of the ball will also be likely motivation for the young pass rusher to have a big game.

Garrett always seems to draw a crowd and will likely see a ton of help from running backs and tight ends. Fans will notice early if Garrett has his burst back or if the ankle is still bothering him.  Even if 90 percent healthy, the attention he draws will be a huge benefit to the entire defense, but if he can only play 40 percent of the snaps, and average defense becomes even worse quickly.

The bye week should turn out to be crucial for the entire team to get healthy, especially Garrett. Let’s hope with most of the roster back at full speed the Browns can put together a nice three or four-game win streak.