Browns' Garrett after 2-sack season debut: I'm being the player they drafted
Cleveland Browns sophomore defensive end Myles Garrett is ascending toward becoming one of the NFL's top defenders.
The 2017 No. 1 overall draft pick recorded two sacks, six tackles, and forced two fumbles in Sunday's season-opening tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He now has nine sacks in just 12 career games.
"I am being the person they got from the draft," said Garrett, according to Andrew Gribble of ClevelandBrowns.com. "I am finally healthy, and I am just trying to be the guy to make the plays when we need them."
The 22-year-old missed four games in his rookie season due to a high-ankle sprain that bothered him throughout the year. Still, Garrett managed to rack up seven sacks and a forced fumble in just nine starts.
Now, healthy and playing alongside an improved defensive unit, Garrett feels the success can continue.
"A great player can take over the game no matter what the position," he said. "It wasn't just me. It was a bunch of guys on my team who were there picking up the slack when I wasn't getting there."
Cleveland forced Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into three interceptions and two fumbles on the day, while also recovering a fumble from running back James Conner.