Cleveland Browns: Week 1 Predictions Against Pittsburgh Steelers
4. The defensive line cannot get consistent pressure without defensive end Myles Garrett
What a gut-punch it was to wake up to this news on Thursday.
UPDATE: Myles Garrett has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain. His status will be updated in a couple weeks. pic.twitter.com/YvBM4HXnPc
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 7, 2017
Myles Garrett‘s performance in camp and the preseason stood out to a few different players, as he was extremely disruptive in his preseason appearances. He recorded just one sack in three games but was constantly applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks.
His absence will be huge for the Browns defensive line. Defensive tackle Danny Shelton is still recovering from a knee injury, and his status for Sunday is still up-in-the-air. If Shelton were to miss the game, the starting lineup would likely be comprised of Emmanuel Ogbah, Trevon Coley, Jamie Meder and Nate Orchard. That is certainly not an imposing front.
If the Browns cannot put pressure on Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers quarterback will pick the Browns secondary apart. Garrett’s absence will certainly play a huge role in putting pressure on Roethlisberger. The defensive end has displayed game-changing talent already in his short NFL career. Without Garrett, it is very hard to foresee, at this time, how the Browns will be able to get pressure consistently.