If quarterback Deshaun Watson is suspended for eight games — which the Browns are privately bracing for — the team will still have to be competitive with Jacoby Brissett behind center.
That’s where the defense should come in, at least according to All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett.
Cleveland’s defense finished No. 5 in yards allowed last season, particularly coming on late in the year. After a 45-7 drubbing at the hands of the Patriots in Week 10, the club gave up 18.6 points per game over its last seven contests.
So Garrett is expecting the Browns to pick up where they left off no matter who is piloting the offense.
“It doesn’t change, regardless [of] how that situation works itself out. We’re going to hold ourselves to a higher standard no matter what happens and our defense is going to do what we do,” Garrett said, via Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal. “Last time I heard, they can’t win if they don’t score points.
“Part of that is to do with what I expect out of myself and our group as a defense. It has nothing to do with Jacoby. I believe in his ability, but I’m putting the pressure on us because I know what we have in store.”
Generally, Garrett said the defense can be “as dominant as we want to be.”
“I feel like that last year and I feel like that this year,” he said. “We have a lot of talented guys all across the board and I feel like this is probably the most well-rounded we’ve been since I’ve been here. Just try to make the most of it and make plays all up and down the field and take the ball away.”
Cleveland brought back defensive end Jadeveon Clowney in free agency and gave cornerback Denzel Ward a lucrative contract extension to help solidify the unit during the offseason. If Garrett again plays to an All-Pro standard, Cleveland should make it difficult on opposing offenses once again in 2022.