Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett is again in the running for one of the NFL's top honors. According to WKYC, Garrett has been officially named a finalist for the prestigious Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, further cementing his status as an elite defender in the league.
Despite the Browns' less-than-stellar 3-14 record, Garrett's performance has shone brightly throughout the 2024 season. He finished with 47 tackles and 14 sacks, ranking second in the NFL. Garrett also forced three fumbles throughout the season. While bearing the weight of an entire defensive line, Garrett made history by becoming the first Browns player to reach 100 career sacks at 28, a detail highlighted by the official ClevelandBrowns' website.
In a statement obtained by ClevelandBrowns, Garrett's defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, praised his metrics this season, noting, "His metrics have been better or the same as last year when he won Player of the Year." Schwartz went on to commend Garrett's consistent success, high win percentage, and pressure, and he still boasts a really good pressure rate and sacks. The dominant defensive end has replicated and arguably outpaced his lauded performance from the previous year when he won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
An additional testament to Garrett's formidable skills came from Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, whose words echoed the sentiment of facing a prodigious task every game. Kevin Stefanski told FOX8, "It's like a degree of difficulty that he's able to lead the league in sacks and tackles for loss with all that attention." Stefanski marveled at Garrett's ability to lead the league under such intense focus – a task that should be impossible, thereby underscoring Garrett’s high-caliber performance.
Alongside being a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year, Garrett was named to the 2024-25 NFLPA Players' All-Pro Team for the third consecutive year and earned First-Team All-Pro honors for the fourth time. The NFL Honors on February 6 in New Orleans will reveal if Garrett will add another Defensive Player of the Year award to his growing list of accolades.
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