Myles Garrett was determined to play on Sunday despite having injuries to both feet. However, he may not have a choice moving forward.
Cleveland’s All-Pro defensive end will have an MRI on his foot on Monday after he had to leave the field for medical attention twice and was struggling during Cleveland’s 21-15 loss to the New York Giants.
At one point in the fourth quarter, Garrett needed assistance to leave the field. On Friday, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year mentioned he was dealing with injuries to both feet but didn’t specify the exact issues.
During the game, Garrett grabbed his right foot and limped after several plays. The 28-year-old explained that he is facing multiple problems in both legs as he tries to cope with the foot injuries.
“A whole lot of things going on,” Garrett said after limping to the podium for his postgame press conference. “It’s part of the game. I’m not gonna make excuses.
Excuses don’t win this game. So I’m going to continue to do recovery, my treatment, everything that I’m required and more and be out there and be the player that we need.”
Losing Garrett for any length of time could be a serious setback for the Browns.
He is their defensive leader, one of the top edge rushers in the league, and a key player that opposing coaches must plan for.
Given how he looked, it wouldn’t be surprising if Garrett misses a significant amount of time.
After the Browns lost and were booed at home for the second time in three weeks, Garrett limped out of the locker room and got into the back seat of a waiting cart, needing to lift his right leg into the vehicle.
Garrett’s father took a moment to talk to him before he was driven to his car outside Huntington Bank Field.
The three-time All-Pro missed two days of practice this week to get treatment and rest before returning on Friday. He has been hesitant to explain his injuries, leading to speculation about what is wrong.
“It’s the foot,” Garrett said when asked about what is affecting his performance. “But like I said, it’s more than just the foot. It’s multiple things going on. If I think the foot’s feeling good or better, it’s one thing or another.
So it’s kind of just feeding into each other right now and nothing’s sitting right because nothing has time to heal.
“I’m leaning on something else and I’m compensating here to make some hurt there. It’s just been — like I said, a cycle.”
Garrett was credited with one tackle and three hits on Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. He had a strip sack in each of Cleveland’s first two games.
As Garrett lay on the field in the fourth quarter, Cleveland’s fans started chanting his name before he was helped to his feet and taken to the sideline. Garrett said this moment gave him a temporary boost.
“That’s the kind of thing that you dream of,” he said. “And it’s not the situation we wanted to be in with the score, but that kind of support behind myself and us, that’s when you step up and make plays and we made plays down the stretch, but we need to make a couple more. But that’s the stuff that you play for.”
Along with Garrett’s injury, the Browns’ struggling offensive line faced more challenges as right guard Wyatt Teller (knee), left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee), and backup tackle James Hudson III (shoulder) all got hurt.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski mentioned that all three would undergo imaging tests. Additionally, right tackle Dawand Jones is dealing with a knee issue.
These injuries forced Stefanski to move left guard Joel Bitonio to tackle and center Ethan Pocic to guard. Backup Nick Harris stepped in as center.
