Who would win Defensive Player of the Year was one of the more hotly contested debates during the season. Incredibly valid cases could be made for Pittsburgh’s TJ Watt and Dallas’ Micah Parsons, but it was not their night. Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett would come away with the honor following his incredible effort this past season. This is the first time Garrett has received the award.
Garrett finished this past season with 14 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hits, and four forced fumbles. While Garrett may not have eclipsed the numbers of others who were up for the award, this is a case of an award not being entirely based on numbers. There is no doubt that very few if any, defensive players can impact a game on defense the way Garrett does. A clear example of that came during the Browns’ Week 3 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Garrett was going in motion from one side of the line to the other in order to get a favorable path to the quarterback. Tennessee was so worried about Garrett on this play that they had two tight ends trailing him.
Anyone and everyone is very well aware of the number one task for any offensive player playing against the Browns. Slow down Myles Garrett. But to see two players follow him in this manner was jaw-dropping then, and it still is now. When it comes to selecting the Defensive Player of the Year, this is the only sequence worth taking into consideration.
More must-reads: