When watching football, are there players so good at what they do, so athletic, that you wonder how in the world they can be considered part of the same species as you?
This is how I feel every time I watch Myles Garrett from the comfort of my couch, wearing gym shorts, with a beverage in hand.
The Cleveland Browns don’t do much to inspire their fanbase. I live in Cleveland, and the malaise around the team’s nonstop blunders affects even me, a blessed Son of the Lombardi.
But watching Myles Garrett never ceases to inspire awe.
The Green Bay Packers visit Cleveland this Sunday. While the 0-2 Browns aren’t inciting terror, Garrett does, especially against Green Bay’s battered offensive line. After the mini-bye week, will the Packers get their missing offensive line starters back? And, if not, can the backups handle Myles Garrett?
Through two weeks, the Browns might not look like much on the whole, but Garrett didn’t get that memo. Garrett tore through the Cincinnati Bengals’ porous offensive line, with some unlikely interceptions and a bad day from their kicker leading to the loss. He was also one of the team’s best players against the Baltimore Ravens. Cleveland’s defense fended off the Ravens for three quarters until the unit broke in the fourth.
Garrett is part of a three-way tie for most sacks in the league, with 3.5. He has ten total tackles, six for loss. The 2023 defensive player of the year currently sports excellent grades in both pass-rush and run defense. It looks like (elite) business as usual for Garrett.
Matt LaFleur highlighted Garrett as a game wrecker that the offensive line needs to be prepared for.
“If you have a bad matchup, forget about it,” LaFleur said on Monday.
Left guard Aaron Banks (ankle) and right tackle Zach Tom (oblique) missed Thursday’s game after injuries in Week 1. The short turnaround for Thursday Night Football wasn’t enough to get both players back, but there is hope for Week 3’s tilt.
Unfortunately, Banks and Tom did not practice on Monday, though LaFleur said both players are improving.
“He feels a lot better than he did, and we’ll see how he progresses throughout the week,” LaFleur said on Tom, specifically.
Tom’s status will be under a microscope this week, with the newly paid franchise tackle the best hope of stopping Garrett on the right side.
Green Bay’s offensive line and Tom handled Aidan Hutchinson well, and the Packers will feel much better about the matchup if Tom can square up against Garrett.
While Garrett can attack you from anywhere, Banks isn’t quite as vital to the matchup as Tom. Still, Banks’ absence would define who’s available to play right tackle if both players are out.
Banks was Green Bay’s lowest-graded offensive player in Week 1 (44.0), per PFF. With him out during Week 2, Jordan Morgan got the start at left guard against the Washington Commanders. Unfortunately, Morgan was the team’s lowest graded offensive player that week (41.0).
Even with a low grade, the Packers like what they have in Morgan, and he should get the start at left guard again if Banks is out. We don’t know if Morgan would be in the mix at right tackle, but he’s probably preparing at guard this week. That leaves Anthony Belton and Darian Kinnard as the top options at right tackle again, and the Packers would need them to help stave off Garrett.
While Belton’s most notable moment against Washington was unfortunately a penalty that negated a Jayden Reed touchdown, LaFleur liked what he saw overall from the second-round rookie.
“Outside of the one penalty, I thought he played really solid football,” said LaFleur. “He was physical, he was straining, there was great effort. So for his game, especially in a game where there’s no practice, you walk through, but there’s no live practice, I thought he went in there and did a really outstanding job.”
Kinnard, the recent acquisition before final cuts, split time at the spot, but Belton outsnapped him 51-17.
Will the coaching staff again trust Belton with the start against Garrett? Kinnard has more experience, but it’s less than ideal not to trust your second-round pick to start when needed. We’ve seen the classic rookie ups and downs from Belton. Still, his power, ferocity, and movement skills were well on display, and one can see the vision the team has for him. A full week of practice preparing for the start can make his game cleaner this week, but pitting a rookie against Garrett is never ideal.
Of course, the entire line needs to stay strong to handle Garrett in pass protection and run-blocking. However, if there’s a weak link on the line, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will move Garrett to take advantage.
Right tackle isn’t the only position that needs to worry about Garrett, but with Tom’s status in question, that spot could be the weak link Garrett might exploit. Ideally, Tom can come back feeling well and have an epic clash against Garrett. If not, it’s a ton of pressure on Belton and Kinnard.
Still, the Packers have one of the league’s better offensive lines, even down a few players. Most teams can’t field a full decent starting five, so Green Bay is rich with capable options. LaFleur and the coaching staff have also had extra time to prepare thanks to playing last Thursday. They’ll have a plan for Garrett regardless of who’s available. We’ll see if that plan holds up on Sunday.
