Do Browns want Myles Garrett to be more of a leader after signing extension?

Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz raised eyebrows when he recently said he believes star pass-rusher Myles Garrett "is going to have the best season of his career" after Garrett received a massive contract extension, in part because the 29-year-old realizes "with great power comes great responsibility." 

During the latest edition of the "Terry's Talkin'" podcast, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer touched upon whether Schwartz's comments indicate the Browns want Garrett to improve as a leader ahead of the 2025 campaign. 

"I mean, at this point, Myles' personality is not going to change a whole lot. This is what you got," Pluto said. "...(Schwartz) said he thought Myles would respond with his best season ever with the contract and all that. ...He went through a lot, he got the deal, he’s back."

Garrett was part of the 2024 Browns side that went 3-14 before he publicly confirmed in February that he wanted to be traded to an championship contender. The Browns reportedly made it clear through early March that Garrett wouldn't receive a fresh start elsewhere before this year's draft, and he ultimately signed a four-year, $160M extension that included $123.5M guaranteed to remain with the club for the foreseeable future. 

After a March report mentioned that it's "well known within the Browns that Garrett is frequently late to the facility" and "has skipped mandatory team activities on multiple occasions," team owner Jimmy Haslam shared that Cleveland had "challenged" Garrett "to become a real leader of the team." Garrett then elected not to participate in voluntary workouts before he showed up in time for Cleveland's mandatory minicamp, which is scheduled to run from Tuesday through Thursday. 

"I’m not really worried about him," Pluto added about Garrett. "I know he’ll be in shape. He’ll be here when he needs to be here. And he was." 

Pluto indicated that the Browns simply want Garrett to be the type of dominant on-the-field force he was when he earned Defensive Player of the Year Award honors for the 2023 season. It sounds like fans hoping Garrett will evolve as a locker-room leader while on his new deal may want to put such expectations to bed before training camp opens in late July.