WHITE SULFUR SPRINGS, W.Va — When Myles Garrett is on any field, practice or game, his presence is undeniable. So after two days of training camp at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, something has felt like it's missing with Garrett working to the side to start camp.
Garrett has been weight training and working with a trainer alongside other injured players, including Nick Chubb. Still, Garrett's absence from training camp activity is noticeable, but there's a reason he's not out doing drills and taking reps just yet.
On the last day of minicamp, Garrett tweaked his hamstring. It wasn't a serious injury, but it has prompted the Browns and Garrett to take a little extra caution.
"It's a ramp-up period that we're doing. Making sure everything's feeling right and just checking all the lights in the car to make sure the engine's running well, and when we're finally there, just ready to go," Garrett said.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said they aren't worried about the tweaked hamstring and that we'll see Garrett back in action soon.
“Yeah, just gonna ramp him up. We’ll continue to work off to the side with him for now, but he’ll be out there shortly," Stefanski said Friday.
Garrett hasn't been active in the drills with his fellow defensive linemen, but he hasn't been a slouch, either.
Entering his eighth year in the NFL, Garrett is well known as a defensive disrupter and a menace to opposing offenses. While every team tries to gameplan against him, it's a tall task on any given Sunday, but Garrett aims to stay ready for more, especially with the target of reigning Defensive Player of the Year on his back now.
"Well, there's always more. So I don't want to say too much and then get jumped the first game of the year, but I look forward to it; I look forward to the challenge, whatever they throw at me," Garret said."It gets me excited. The odds just get stacked against me or against us, and it's like ‘How are you going to find another way to be unstoppable? How are you going to find another way to change or disrupt the game? How are you going to put yourself in position to win and put your teammates in position to win? How do you allow them to take over if you're going to take two or three?' Those are the kind of thought processes I have."
While Garrett ramps up to being able to work on preparing for those challenges, he's taking the downtime to prepare his teammates for challenges of their own, looking to grow as even more of a team leader for the Browns.
After his weight training and side session during Friday's practice, Garrett made his way over to the defensive line group as they worked through bag drills. Recently signed defensive end Jeremiah Martin, who is officially in his first NFL season, had just finished his rep—and Garrett could be seen going over to him for an individual lesson.
Garrett taught Martin a pass-rushing technique, showing him arm placement and where to go to evade the block.
Later, in 11-on-11 work, Garrett ran out onto the field to talk with players in between the snap, running back before the play began to stand and watch next to Stefanski.
For Garrett, it's all part of being a veteran leader.
"I'm in more of a leadership role, taking that mentorship role when I'm with the guys, whether it's offense or defense, just giving them the keys and tips that I see to try to further their gains and try to make the game slow down for them," Garrett said. "I want everyone to be able to take something from this camp, get better each day, 1% or 0.1%, whatever it is. I want those guys to keep on building, keep on stacking. That's what we're trying to do is continue that culture, getting better every day, working harder.
"I mean even when I'm practicing with the guys, I'm playing with the guys, I'm always watching what they're doing. I'm trying to see if I can either help, offer some advice, give 'em something that I've been seeing that makes their move improve, or maybe shorten their steps, hook their time to the quarterback or to the ball carrier or trying to take what they're using and put in my arsenal. Maybe I like how they're stepping, how they're using their hand, whatever move they're doing; maybe they learn something in the offseason. I'm always locked in seeing what guys are doing on the field," he said.
The Browns star defensive end is entering his eighth year in the league with the goal of growing as a team leader. He's taking action to do so at the Greenbrier while awaiting his ramp-up back to work.
As an official veteran of the Browns, both in tenure in the league and role within the team, players aren't only getting tips from Garrett—they're gravitating towards it.
"I felt like in the past sometimes guys who were close to me in age or I wasn't that much older than, but kind of view it more as competition or I was trying to maybe be conceited or looking down on them. I just want to see my guys go out there and win, and now it feels like I'm getting the nickname Unc and OG and crap," Garrett said. "It feels more like the guys are looking up and saying, ‘Yo bro, just give me something. How can I improve here? What's your thought process here? How are your steps’ and I give my answer wholeheartedly. This is what you're doing, this is what I see, this is how I feel like you can improve, change your game."
And Garrett is growing from being labeled as an "OG," too.
"They've been really receptive and I'm just going to continue to give out advice as I get questions and just try to improve each days at my leadership role and then as they teach me things, I continue to be a better follower as well," he added.
