He moves like a ghost. Honestly, a 272-pound man shouldn't be able to bend his body at a 45-degree angle while sprinting at full speed, but Myles Garrett does it every Sunday. If you watch him closely, it’s almost eerie. One second he’s squared up with a 330-pound offensive tackle, and the next, he’s basically evaporated, reappearing behind the quarterback with the ball in his hand.
People talk about "freak athletes" all the time in the NFL. It’s a cliché. But Myles Garrett is the rare case where the word feels inadequate.
He just finished the 2025 season by doing something no one thought was actually possible in the modern, pass-happy, protect-the-QB era. He broke the single-season sack record. 23 sacks. He sat Joe Burrow down in Week 18 to claim the throne, surpassing the 22.5 mark held by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan.
Yet, if you look at the Cleveland Browns' win-loss record, there’s this weird disconnect. The team struggled. They missed the playoffs. And because of that, a lot of casual fans are asking: does Myles Garrett actually matter?
The answer is yes. More than you think.
The Myles Garrett Effect and the "Invisible" Stats
There is this thing called "The Myles Garrett Effect." It’s something coaches and analysts like Bill Barnwell have been obsessing over lately. See, if you only look at the box score, you’re missing about 70% of what he actually does on the field.
In 2025, Garrett was double-teamed or "chipped" (hit by a running back or tight end before he even reached the tackle) on 186 pass rushes. That is an absurd number. It’s the highest rate for an edge rusher in the Next Gen Stats era.
Think about that for a second.
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Every time the opposing offense snaps the ball, they are dedicating two or three grown men just to stop one guy. This creates a massive mathematical advantage for the rest of the Cleveland Browns defense. If three guys are on Myles, someone else is 1-on-1.
Wait, so why don't his teammates have 20 sacks too?
It’s a fair question. Honestly, it’s kind of a "suffering from success" situation. Garrett gets to the quarterback so fast—we’re talking a "get-off" time of .23 seconds—that the QB has to get rid of the ball immediately. He forces "hurries" that lead to interceptions for the secondary, even if he doesn't get the sack credit himself.
A Giant Who Writes Poetry and Loves Raptors
Off the field, Garrett is... well, he’s different. You won’t find him at the club or getting into Twitter beefs.
He writes poetry.
Back in 2019, he published a poem called "I Hate You" that was actually about the complex, agonizing relationship he has with the game of football. He’s also a massive nerd for dinosaurs. He has a massive mural in his house, and he’s been known to spend his off-days at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
It’s this duality that makes him so compelling. He’s a soft-spoken guy who loves the arts, but once he puts that helmet on, he becomes a "whirling dervish of physicality."
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He’s also incredibly loyal. Despite the Browns' struggles and some very real trade rumors that floated around in early 2025, he doubled down on Cleveland. He signed a massive 4-year, $160 million extension that keeps him in "The Land" through 2030.
He wants to win there. He wants to be the one who finally brings a trophy to a city that has seen so much heartbreak.
Breaking Down the 2025 Record-Breaking Campaign
Let's talk numbers because they are genuinely stupid.
Garrett didn't just stumble into 23 sacks. He was consistent in a way that’s almost boring. He recorded 14 sacks over a single five-game span in November. He was the AFC Defensive Player of the Month and basically locked up his second Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award before Christmas.
- Total Tackles: 57
- Sacks: 23 (NFL Record)
- Tackles for Loss: 33
- Forced Fumbles: 3
The craziest part? He did a lot of this while dealing with a nagging hip injury and an Achilles issue that kept him out of Wednesday practices for half the year.
Most 30-year-old defensive ends are starting to "win with veteran savvy," which is code for "they got slow." Garrett is still winning with pure, unadulterated twitch. He’s 6'4", 272 pounds, and he still has a 41-inch vertical. That’s not normal.
What Most People Get Wrong About Him
There’s a narrative that Garrett "disappears" in big games. You’ll see it on Reddit or hear it on sports talk radio when the Browns lose 17-10.
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"Where was Myles?"
Usually, he was being held. Or he was being tripled. Or the opposing coach specifically designed a game plan to throw the ball in 1.8 seconds so Myles couldn't touch him.
The "conundrum" of Myles Garrett is that he is an elite force on a team that hasn't found its identity on offense. You can have the greatest defensive player of a generation, but if the quarterback is throwing three picks a game, it’s hard for a defensive end to "carry" the team to a win.
But make no mistake: without him, this defense isn't just worse. It’s unrecognizable.
How to Watch Myles Garrett Like a Pro
If you want to actually see his greatness next season, stop following the ball. Watch #95 at the snap.
- Look at his feet: He uses a "ghost lead" step to trick tackles into over-setting.
- Watch the hands: He’s a master of the "cross-chop." He’ll swat a tackle's arms away like they’re made of straw.
- Check the "Bend": Watch how low his shoulder gets to the turf when he rounds the corner. It defies physics.
The Cleveland Browns are at a crossroads in 2026. They have a new coaching staff coming in and a lot of questions at quarterback. But they have one absolute certainty. They have the best defensive player on the planet.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts:
To truly appreciate Garrett's value, look beyond the "Sack" column in the box score. Use resources like Pro Football Focus (PFF) or Next Gen Stats to track "Pass Rush Win Rate" and "Pressures." These metrics show how often a player beats his blocker, regardless of whether the quarterback gets the ball out in time. In 2025, Garrett’s win rate was nearly 27%, a number that puts him in a category of his own. If you're betting or playing fantasy, remember that his presence alone inflates the value of the Browns' secondary, as he forced more "throw-aways" and "hurried passes" than any other player in the league.