Vikings are impressed by Myles Garrett’s talent, instinct and work ethic after joint training sessions
Myles Garrett has been tormenting tackles, botching plays in the backfield and disrupting attack plans on the practice fields in Berea since he was drafted No. 1 in 2017.
His sustained excellence and NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors last season are well documented, but sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to remember how rare he is.
That is exactly what the two joint training sessions against the Vikings offered.
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“You can just see his movement skills, his power, his speed, he has all aspects of the rush,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Thursday. “And I think people don’t talk enough about his instincts. He understands from his experiences what tools can be used against him to mitigate his impact a little bit, and he’s prepared for that and can play it well.”
Garrett was the Browns’ best player against the Vikings, recording multiple sacks, forcing incomplete passes with quick pressure, and stopping running plays before they got going.
He did this especially against Christian Darrisaw, the NFL’s highest-paid left tackle at $26 million per year. Pro Football Focus rated him third among tackles last season with a pass block rating of 85.3.
“He’s special. One of a kind,” Darrisaw told The Athletic after practice on Wednesday. “I’ve never seen anything like him. What he can do… he uses every tool at his disposal.”
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Darrisaw was the Vikings’ No. 23 overall pick in 2021 and has started 39 games in three seasons. The last time the Browns played the Vikings, he had not yet made the lineup at the start of his rookie season.
“Their 71 is pretty good. I like our 95,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Thursday. “It was fun to watch those guys battle each other.”
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold was the target of Garrett’s work this week. The rule of not hitting the quarterback eliminated the fear of pain, but he continued to work on Garrett.
“He’s a great player and every game you know where he’s lined up and where you might need to slide,” Darnold said. “I have to say, the practice video looks a lot like the game video. He works really hard here and it’s clear to me why he’s so good: He comes here and works like crazy every day.”
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Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio has seen virtually every snap Garrett has taken in the NFL, witnessed the tackles next to him regret their career decisions, and even played one-on-one with Garrett when he briefly stood in their shoes.
“The practice is tough. Myles is the best defensive end in football,” Bitonio said. “You don’t play, you don’t necessarily slide towards him. It’s just a credit to him and his ability to practice and be that dominant player, and I think he’s still improving.”
“Even during the walkthrough, sometimes you think, ‘Okay, Myles, take two steps, we’re trying to walk through something.’ But he’s very impressive.”
Bitonio advises tacklers to stay confident and remember that the game will be easier. They won’t have to block Garrett and they’ll get the help they don’t get in practice.
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“You realize you have to really trust your technique,” Bitonio said. “You can’t panic, and sometimes even when you try to trust your technique, he still panics you, but you can learn a lot. You can edit things, you can try things.”
“The great thing about Myles is you go at him, be aggressive and do your thing. If you block him, it’s a huge advantage. If you don’t block him, it’s almost expected at that point, so you can try things and really work on your technique against him.”
Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II called Garrett an “alien” and Bitonio said more than once that Garrett’s greatness makes his teammates “happy that he’s on their team.”
“He’s the best in the world, and I think everyone knows that,” quarterback Deshaun Watson said. “So it’s a blessing and it’s great to have him on our team and call him a teammate, and it’s fun to be able to compete against him every day.”
Vikings superstar receiver Justin Jefferson ran down the field as Garrett entered the backfield, but still aware of the damage being done, he shortened some of his routes so Darnold could get rid of the ball before Garrett arrived.
“It’s tough to compete against someone like him,” Jefferson said. “He’s a natural. You have to look at how big, how fast and how explosive he is.”
“It’s just going to make us 10 times better. We’re not going to see a Myles Garrett every week. So by competing against him in those joint practices, getting really physical and doing those one-on-one drills with him, our O-line is going to be 20 times better.”
