Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett has a prime opportunity to make an early statement in his quest for a second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award.
Garrett and the Browns are kicking off Week 1 with a bang, taking on the Dallas Cowboys in a marquee matchup. But the real showdown? Garrett vs. Micah Parsons. Two of the NFL’s top defensive playmakers will be going head-to-head on the same field.
“No doubt I’ll be watching (Parsons),” Garrett said of the Cowboys star pass-rusher. “He’s a hell of a player and if he busts out a move, I might take it during the game and use it myself. But it’s not a matter of one-upmanship. I’m worried about how we can control the game and dominate the line of scrimmage when we’re on the field. But while they’re out there, going to be rooting for the offense, but paying attention to what they’re doing, see if I can help the tackles or the guards based off what I’m seeing from them, what they’re getting from him individually and studying him and his game in first person.”
Garrett and Parsons are two of the most impactful defensive players in the league. Garrett, the No. 1 overall pick in 2017, has 88.5 career sacks in 100 games. Parsons has had a similar trajectory, notching 40.5 sacks in 50 games.
Myles Garrett Ready to ‘Duke it Out’ With Micah Parsons
Since entering the league, Parsons has consistently finished as a top-three vote-getter for Defensive Player of the Year, and Garrett knows he’s eager to claim the award.
“I’d hope he wants to win. He’s a hell of a competitor. He’s a great athlete and a great advocate for this game. So I want that kind of confidence from him striving for greatness. I wouldn’t want him to say anything else. That makes me know that he’s going to give 100% and, you know, duke it out, let’s see what happens. But it’s not me playing against Micah, it’s our teams playing each other and at the end of the day, hope he does well, just not Sunday.”
The respect is mutual between Garrett and Parsons.
“Garrett is one of my favorite rushers. Him and (the Raiders’) Maxx Crosby are two guys that are so freaking gifted. It’s gonna be exciting to play against him,” Parsons said of Garrett, via the Cowboys’ website. “He’s one of the more relentless.”
Pressure Will be Aplenty With Shaky Offensive Tackle Situations
Both Parsons and Garrett will have juicy matchups to work against as they look to get an early edge in the sack race.
The Browns will be missing former first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr., who has 53 starts and left tackle since entering the league in 2020. Cleveland may move right tackle Jack Conklin to the left side, a position he hasn’t played since college. Conklin is returning from a serious knee injury that limited him to just one game last season. James Hudson III is the other option for Cleveland.
Garrett will be matched up against Cowboys’ rookie offensive tackle Tyler Guyton.
“It’s a new challenge,” Garrett said. “Just as the league is new to him, he’s new to us. We’ve got to prepare for what he brings to the game and the uniqueness that he provides. But his skill set, as well as his attributes being a taller guy, being a little bit more mobile, athletic and moving pretty well, he’s been able to go against a really good pass rusher over there in Dallas (in Micah Parsons). So he’s going to be prepared but I offer a different flavor.”
The Browns are a 1.5-point home favorite for the matchup.
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