Honestly, it’s getting hard to watch.
We are witnessing one of the greatest defensive players to ever put on a pair of cleats, and he is playing for a team that can’t seem to get out of its own way. Myles Garrett just finished a 2025 season that should have been the crowning achievement of a legendary career. He didn't just play well; he redefined what a pass rusher can do.
23 sacks.
That is the new NFL single-season record. He took down Joe Burrow in the final minutes of Week 18 to pass Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. It was a poetic, violent, and beautiful moment for a guy who has been the only consistent heartbeat in Cleveland for nearly a decade. But here is the gut-punch: the Browns finished 5-12.
How does that happen? How do you have a guy who is basically a human cheat code, a 272-pound freak of nature who broke the sack record while playing through a hip injury, and still end up at the bottom of the AFC North?
The Reality of Myles Garrett and the Browns Right Now
If you look at the stats, Garrett’s 2025 campaign was borderline mythical. Beyond the 23 sacks, he led the league with 33 tackles for loss and 39 quarterback hits. He was named a first-team All-Pro for the fifth time in his career. At 30 years old, he is officially a living legend.
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But the team around him? It’s a mess.
The Browns' offense was, to put it bluntly, a disaster last year. They finished dead last in the league in yards per play (4.3). While Garrett was out there treating offensive tackles like revolving doors, the Cleveland offense was struggling to complete basic forward passes. It’s a recurring theme that has defined the Myles Garrett and the Browns era: a world-class defense anchored by a generational talent, paired with an offense that acts like it’s playing in the 1920s.
Kevin Stefanski is gone now. He was fired on January 5, 2026, after a dismal two-year stretch where the team went 8-26. It’s a sad end for a coach who actually brought some winning football to Cleveland early on, but the NFL is a "what have you done for me lately" business. Right now, the Browns have the worst head coaching vacancy in the league.
Why the 2026 Season Feels So Precarious
There is a real fear in Northeast Ohio that we are wasting the "Prime Myles" years.
You’ve got a guy who signed a contract extension through 2030, showing a level of loyalty to Cleveland that frankly, the franchise hasn't always earned. He’s the team's all-time sack leader with 125.5. He’s the first player to hit 100 sacks before turning 29. He is a lock for the Hall of Fame.
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But football is the ultimate team sport. You can have a literal superhero on the edge, but if your offensive line is "equal parts aging and porous"—as some analysts are putting it—and your quarterback situation is a "debacle," you aren't winning anything.
The defense itself is still a bright spot, though. Even with the losing record, they allowed the fourth-fewest total yards in the league last year. Denzel Ward is still a lockdown corner. If the Browns can find a coach who knows how to fix the offense without stripping the defensive budget, there is a path back to relevance.
What Most People Get Wrong About Myles
People see the "Dinosaur Man" who loves poetry and basketball and think he’s maybe too "nice" for the grit of Cleveland. That is nonsense.
Look at the tape from 2024 and 2025. He played through foot, Achilles, hip, and thigh issues. Most players would have taken three weeks off. Garrett just kept lining up. In Week 12 of the 2025 season against the Raiders, he had 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles while barely being able to walk in the locker room after the game.
He isn't just a physical specimen; he’s a technician. He uses a cross-chop move that leaves tackles grabbing air. He can bend his body at angles that don't seem anatomically possible for a man his size. When you talk about Myles Garrett and the Browns, you aren't just talking about a good player on a bad team—you’re talking about a historic mismatch that the front office hasn't been able to capitalize on.
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The Problem With the 2026 Cap Space
The search for a new coach is complicated by the numbers. The Browns are reportedly over $15 million in the red against the projected 2026 salary cap. This is the lingering ghost of the Deshaun Watson trade.
It limits what Andrew Berry can do in free agency. It puts immense pressure on the 2026 NFL Draft. PFF is already mocking players like Jordyn Tyson to Cleveland at No. 6 overall, because the receiving corps was essentially non-existent last season.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Offseason
If the Browns want to stop wasting Garrett’s career, they need to stop looking for "splash" hires and start looking for "stabilizers."
- Prioritize a "CEO" Head Coach: They don't need another offensive "genius" who gets bogged down in play-calling. They need someone who can manage the locker room and oversee a total rebuild of the offensive culture.
- Invest in the Offensive Line Immediately: You cannot win in the AFC North with a porous line. Even a mediocre quarterback looks like a Pro Bowler if he has four seconds to throw.
- Maximize the "Window": Garrett has maybe 3-4 years left of this "Apex Predator" level of play. Every year spent going 5-12 is a year of a Hall of Fame career that we never get back.
The story of Myles Garrett and the Browns doesn't have to be a tragedy. He’s done his part. He’s broken the records. He’s stayed loyal. Now, it is up to the organization to finally give him a team that is worthy of his greatness.
To stay ahead of the curve, Browns fans should keep a close eye on the defensive coordinator hire. If the new head coach brings in a scheme that takes the pressure off Garrett to be the entire pass rush, we might see him break his own record again in 2026. Keep an eye on the "Day 2" draft picks for edge depth; names like Gabe Jacas are already being floated as potential proteges for #95.