The Cleveland Browns came into the 2023 NFL season with high hopes of becoming the title-contending team that everyone expected they would be after bringing in star quarterback Deshaun Watson to lead the way under center.
Unfortunately, Watson hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations since arriving in Cleveland, which has led to disappointment about the team paying as much as they did for his services, but the Browns could be doing something special without him heading into the NFL playoffs.
Once Watson and star running back Nick Chubb went down with season-ending injuries, the Browns’ chances of being a force to be reckoned with seemed to diminish drastically, with arguably two of the team’s best players done for the year.
However, the Browns have been able to stay afloat and relevant mainly due to the play of the defense and superstar defensive end Myles Garrett keeping this team competitive on a weekly basis, which has resulted in him being the highest-graded edge defender this season according to PFF.
The highest-graded edge defenders from the regular season pic.twitter.com/xOjrtD0Q2r
— PFF (@PFF) January 9, 2024
With the Browns keeping their title hopes alive and punching their ticket to the playoffs, much of the credit should be given to Garrett and the stars on the defensive side of the football, with Cleveland having one of the best defenses in the league right now.
Along with the Browns being expected to be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs, Garrett could be well on his way to earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors for what he’s been able to accomplish on the field this season.
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