Whenever Browns DE Myles Garrett steps onto the field, he commands an opposing offenses' attention.
In 2024, Garrett was double teamed on a career-high 30 percent of pass rush attempts as teams tried to keep the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year from getting to their quarterback. Garrett fought through the extra attention, finishing the year with 14 sacks, the second-most in the NFL.
Despite facing a league-high rate of double teams and chip blocks, Garrett was selected to the Associated Press First Team All-Pro for the 2024 season. The selection marks the fourth time in his eight-year career that Garrett has been chosen as a First Team All-Pro. He has also been voted to the Second Team All-Pro twice.
"It's hard to say that Myles isn't better this year," defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said on Jan. 1. "His metrics have been better or the same as last year when he won (Defensive) Player of the Year."
In addition to Garrett's 14 sacks, the eight-year veteran finished with a league-high 22 tackles for loss and 84 quarterback pressures, the third-most in the league. In 2023, when Garrett was awarded the league's highest award for a defensive player, Garrett finished with 14 sacks, 79 quarterback pressures and 17 tackles for loss.
Garrett's ability to wreak havoc against opposing offenses has earned the respect and admiration of coaches and players throughout the league.
"He's a tremendous football player," Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said before the Browns hosted the Chargers in Week 9. "He has speed, physicality, size, strength and is super savvy. You can tell. It's a tremendous combination of a guy that can play all out with tremendous talent and effort, but you can see he's got his wits about him at all times."
While the Chargers left Huntington Bank Field with a win in Week 9, Garrett made his mark on the game, finishing with three sacks – which came within a four-play span between the first and second quarters. The three-sack performance was the first of two Garrett put together in 2024. In the Browns' Week 12 win over the Steelers, Garrett sacked QB Russell Wilson three times, including at the end of the first half as the Steelers were threatening to drive into Browns territory.
"I don't see how he's not the best defensive player in the game this year," head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Jan. 2. "The piece to me that I think is so impressive and remarkable is he's doing all this while getting all of the attention from the other team. It's like a degree of difficulty that he's able to (have the second-most) sacks and (the most) tackles for loss with all that attention. It should be impossible."
Despite consistently being recognized as being one of the top defensive players in the NFL, Garrett has been determined to improve each season. After winning his first Defensive Player of the Year, Garrett worked hard over the offseason to ensure he was in position for another dominant season.
"Because I got better," Garrett said when asked how he was able to have a productive season despite facing so many double teams. "And I'll continue to until I'm finished."
