Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett looks leaner and lighter this offseason - but is happy to remain coy on the subject.
Garrett, 27, gave reporters a glimpse of the summer body transformation during an appearance at his ProCamp youth football clinic at Gilmour Academy. It was all the more noticeable while being put through his paces by campers in pass-rush drills on Tuesday.
It comes less than a year after being hospitalised following a single-car crash that saw his Porsche flip and roll over. In the incident near the Browns training facility, Garrett suffered a sprained shoulder, strained biceps and cut hand but avoided significant injuries.
Approaching 12 months on, the four-time Pro Bowler looks in the shape of his life with training camp looming. Not that you will hear such admissions from the player himself.
Asked by reporters whether he was indeed trimmer and that their eyes were not deceiving them, he was not giving anything away. "Got a shave," Garrett replied, rubbing his chin and wearing a big grin.
The defensive end did later explain further about what the offseason has entailed. “I don’t think I’m coming in that different,” Garrett told cleveland.com.
“Just working hard, maintaining, trying to work on some of the finer details and techniques. But other than not trying to do anything too extravagant. We’ve got things working pretty well, and right now, it’s just about working together and getting to where we want to go.”
After only playing in the postseason once (in 2020) in six years since being drafted No. 1 overall by Cleveland in 2017, making the playoffs again is undoubtedly the main aim entering the 2023 season. Under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Garrett seems set to thrive this upcoming season, with landing a defensive player of the year award not out of the question.
Schwartz spoke about Garrett at an introductory press conference earlier this year. “Every offense we’ll play will probably start with (Garrett),” Schwartz said. “‘How do we neutralize Myles Garrett, and how do we keep him from wrecking this game?’"
"And it’s my job to give him some answers and to be able to put some pieces scheme-wise and personnel-wise around him to allow him to be free and more productive. And when I say more productive, what (16) sacks? The bar is set really high for a good reason.”
On offense, improved play from quarterback Deshaun Watson will be equally important. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski sounds confident that could be the case.
“I would just tell you he’s done a really nice job throughout this entire offseason of being diligent about understanding [the] playbook, understanding his teammates every single day,” Stefanski told the Akron Beacon Journal.
“There are always going to be things that you want to get back and do a little bit differently. That’s no different than every player at every position, but he’s right where he needs to be.”
