Cleveland Browns: 10 players that need to go to rebuild the brand

Dishonorable Mention – DE Myles Garrett

Myles Garrett deserves a chance to change his reputation. Just not much of a chance. Firstly, hitting someone with a hard, plastic, fortified object is assault with a deadly weapon. This is not an argument you’ll win, don’t try. Secondly, calling someone a name (whether it did or didn’t happen) does not justify trying to maim someone. Thirdly, his dishonorable mention slot was earned well before the helmet was ever chucked at a Steelers players’ head.

Before Garrett went full-on Texas Chainsaw on Mason Rudolph, Garrett had a reputation in the league of being a dirty player. From slapping players in the face to unnecessary roughness calls, Garrett earned each and every penalty assigned to him in 2019. Then there was the helmet assault, and then the baseless accusation against Rudolph, something every Steeler near Garrett disputed. It all makes Garrett look like a man who can’t take responsibility for his actions and thinks it’s ok to escalate things instead of walking away.

Is that the man he is? It’s hard to say, though I’d give him the benefit of the doubt. His transgressions, even with the helmet assault, don’t even begin to rival Bill Romanowski, Albert Haynesworth or Ndamukong Suh for levels of dirty play. Garrett is only 24, he’s no kid as some like to claim, but he is still young and dumb enough to not understand the severity of his actions. Maybe he’s getting an unfair pass here, maybe he deserves to cut or traded like some of the others on this list.

It’s all unclear right now. The best determining factor for future actions is past actions though, and Garrett could easily be the person we think he is today. I believe in second chances however. Garrett needs to earn this new lease on his career in 2020 and play perfectly. No more personal fouls, shed the reputation of being a dirty player and for the love of all that’s good and holy, walk away from fights.