Browns DE Myles Garrett questionable for Sunday after one-car crash, ‘blessed to live another day’

Garrett is considered questionable for Cleveland’s Week 4 game against Atlanta, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Friday. Fellow edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney (ankle) is also questionable.

“As you can imagine, he’s a competitor and he’s in here rehabbing, but we’ll always make appropriate decisions,” Stefanski said of Garrett, via 92.3 The Fan, adding the team will use the next 24-48 hours to determine whether the defensive end will be able to play Sunday.

Garrett told reporters he’s “feeling a lot better” and was thankful to make it out of the crash, adding he considers himself “blessed to live another day.”

“It was a big thing just getting in here around my guys,” Garrett said. “Being embraced by your family and this team, it meant a lot to me.”

Garrett sustained shoulder and biceps strains along with multiple lacerations in a one-car crash on Monday afternoon in Wadsworth, Ohio. Bruising was also visible on the left side of his face during Friday’s press conference as a result of the accident.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol issued Garrett a citation for failure to control his vehicle, and also stated Garrett was driving at an “unsafe speed for the type of roadway being traveled appeared to be a contributing circumstance” in the wreck.

Garrett said Friday that football was not on his mind in the immediate moments after the crash, instead worrying more about the safety of his passenger, who thankfully emerged from the wreck without serious injury. He has since had time to reflect on the events, and told reporters Friday he’s moved past the emotional impact of such a traumatic experience, which he described as “a blur.”

“Emotionally, I’m pretty grounded with that. I think I’ve put it behind me,” Garrett said. “Physically, I’m still dealing with some of the injuries that came along with it.”

Garrett leads the Browns with three sacks and five quarterback hits in 2022, and is tied for the third-most sacks in the NFL since 2017 with 61.5. He’s a key part of the franchise’s long-term plans and constantly commands additional attention from opposing blockers on an every-down basis.

If Clowney can’t go, Garrett’s participation becomes even more important to the Browns’ hopes of pressuring Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota. But sitting out less than a week after rolling his car would certainly be understandable.

“If it were up to me, I’d love to go,” Garrett said. “That’s just my competitive spirit and my nature. Physically, we have to assess that going up to the game. … That’s just a decision we’ll make a little bit closer to game time.”