Cleveland Browns: 4 defensive players that will have improved stats in 2022

Cleveland Browns Player That Will Have Better Stats in 2022 No. 1

Myles Garrett – EDGE Rusher

Is it even possible for a player like Myles Garrett to get better? It absolutely is and that should be a very scary thought for all opposing quarterbacks.

Garrett set the bar for himself incredibly high a season ago, but in 2022, those numbers could go even further up as he is on the verge of making Browns history. Garrett is four sacks away from setting the franchise record, currently held by Clay Matthews with 62. Garrett enters the 2022 campaign with 58.5 sacks, and he’s done that in just 68 career games, which is wild to think about.

Last year, Garrett set the single-season record when he recorded 16 sacks. He had 4.5 of those sacks in one game back in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears, when Justin Fields made his first career start. For as impressive of a feature that is, Garrett only recorded two sacks in his final five games. I feel he can and will have more in crucial moments down the stretch of the season, especially if the Browns are in playoff contention.

Not only did Garrett rack up 16 sacks, he had a career-high in pressures with 52, which allowed someone like Jadeveon Clowney to get to the quarterback more. Clowney finished with nine sacks a season ago and decided to re-sign with the Browns a few weeks ago, after a ton of public encouragement to do so from Garrett.

Garrett has compiled double-digit sack totals in four straight seasons and likely would have had double digits in his rookie season had he played in more than 11 games (seven sacks). If history is any indication, we will see Garrett surpass his franchise-record 16 sacks in a season in 2022.

Every even-numbered year in the NFL, Garrett has surpassed his sack total from the previous year. In his first year, he had seven sacks, but then in year two, he had 13.5. In year 3 Garrett racked up 10 sacks and then a year later, he had 12.

If that trend continues, Garrett will not only break the all-time franchise record, but also his own franchise single-season record.