Myles Garrett

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has won the Associated Press' Defensive Player of the Year award, which was announced at the 13th annual NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday in Las Vegas.

Five stars were named finalists for DPOY: Garrett, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, Pittsburgh Steelers edge-rusher TJ Watt, Las Vegas Raiders edge-rusher Maxx Crosby and Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland.

Garrett edged Watt for the award, with Parsons taking third. Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press relayed the results:

All players had fantastic resumes well-deserving of being named a finalist.

Garrett, the winner of Pro Football Writers of America's Defensive Player of the Year award, entered this race as the favorite.

It's easy to see why. The Browns made the playoffs despite starting five different quarterbacks in 2023 and losing star running back Nick Chubb in Week 2 with a devastating knee injury.

That was largely because of Garrett and his sensational performance for a defense that at times carried the team.

Garrett finished with 10 or more sacks for the sixth straight season. In 2023 alone, Garrett managed 14 sacks, marking a run of 44 total over the past three years. He also amassed four forced fumbles, 30 quarterback hits and 42 tackles.

He wasn't the only AFC North representative in this race.

Watt orchestrated another phenomenal year for the Steelers, leading the NFL in sacks for the third time in four seasons. The only exception there is 2022, when he was limited to 10 games in an injury-shortened year.

The six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, who won DPOY honors in 2021, added another 19 sacks this year. He also forced four fumbles, 36 quarterback hits and 68 tackles.

Another year, another finalist recognition for Parsons, who earned his third straight Pro Bowl honor this season. The third-year linebacker out of Penn State racked up career-high marks with 14 sacks and 33 quarterback hits, alongside 64 tackles.

Parsons finished as the DPOY runner-up to Watt in 2021 (while also taking home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors) and San Francisco 49ers star edge-rusher Nick Bosa in 2022. It's no coincidence that the Cowboys have finished seventh, fifth and fifth in scoring defense since his arrival.

Only one player on the DPOY list isn't of the edge-rushing variety, but he's still well-deserving of the recognition.

Bland amassed an NFL-record five interception returns for touchdowns. He also led the NFL with nine interceptions, following up a rookie year where he picked off five passes.

The fifth-round draft pick out of Fresno State has been one of the league's best draft steals in recent memory. He earned First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 2023 thanks to his efforts, and he also helped Dallas win the NFC East with a 12-5 record and the NFL's No. 5 scoring defense in 2023.

Bland isn't the only mid-to-late round draft steal populating this list. Former Eastern Michigan star Maxx Crosby, a fourth-round pick, just enjoyed his best-ever season for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro had a career-high 14.5 sacks alongside 90 tackles. He's led the NFL in tackles for a loss in each of the past two seasons (22 in 2022, 23 in 2023). Crosby has also never missed a game in his five-year career.

All five players were deserving of the DPOY honor, but in the end, Garrett took home the award for the first time.

Cleveland Browns superstar defensive end Myles Garrett is reportedly viewed as a burgeoning leader within the Browns organization after falling short in that regard earlier in his career.

According to ESPN's Jake Trotter, multiple sources familiar with the situation said Garrett used to be late to team meetings and even completely skipped them at times, which didn't sit well with former veteran teammates such as Jadeveon Clowney and Malik Jackson.

However, those sources have indicated that Garrett has done a 180-degree turn over the past couple of years, as he no longer shows up late and is "holding others accountable and trying to enhance team chemistry."

Per Trotter, that includes setting up weekly dinners for the defensive linemen, which has helped with the overall camaraderie.

Trotter noted that Jackson, who played for the Browns in 2021, laid down a challenge for Garrett during an appearance on NFL Network's Good Morning Football in July, saying:

"I don't think his leadership skills were the best. He needs to take that bull by the horns and just lead more by example as far as in the classroom because we all know what he can do on the field. But to be able to go in the classroom, command that respect, and tell guys what to do is really where I think he really needs to take that jump. ... [But] some guys just don't have it."

In a season that has seen the Browns start five different quarterbacks, Garrett and the defense have been the driving force behind the team's success.

Garrett finished the regular season with 42 tackles, 14 sacks and four forced fumbles, giving the 2017 No. 1 overall draft pick his sixth consecutive season with double-digit sacks.

He was also chosen as a Pro Bowler for the fifth time and a first-team All-Pro for the third time, and he is among the top candidates for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.

With Garrett leading the way, the Browns led the NFL in total defense and they were sixth in the NFL with 49 team sacks.

Cleveland went 11-6 and earned a wild-card spot, marking its first playoff appearance since 2020 and only its second since the end of the 2002 season.

Garrett will lead the Browns into Houston on Saturday afternoon for a road playoff game against the AFC South champion Houston Texans.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has been fined by the NFL for his criticism of the officials following Sunday's 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the league office handed down a $25,000 fine to Garrett after he voiced his displeasure with the officiating in Week 14.

In an unprompted moment during his post-game press conference, Garrett called the officiating "a travesty" among other things.

"It was honestly awful," he said. "And the fact that they're letting them get away with hands to the face, holding, false-starting. I know they called a couple, but damn, they could have called it all game."

The Browns star also said his shoulder looked like it was "scratched by a couple of wild feral cats" from the Jaguars offensive line.

Even with a chance to reflect on his comments, Garrett didn't back down when he addressed the media again on Friday.

"Right now I'm not getting any calls, so it can't get much worse than that, but I hope it has a positive effect," Garrett said. "I'm not trying to offend anybody. I just want them to do their job to the best of their ability. Same here."

Garrett was asked by reporters yesterday if he had been fined by the league, but he declined to comment.

The comments from Garrett come as he's mired in his roughest stretch of the season. The two-time All-Pro has just two tackles for loss and zero sacks in the past three games.

This is the first time Garrett has gone more than two consecutive games without a sack since Weeks 3-5 in 2022 when he missed one of those games due to an injury.

Despite Garrett's frustration, the Browns were able to get the victory over Jacksonville and improve their record to 8-5. They are currently the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs with four games remaining.

Garrett is on the shortlist of candidates to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He ranks seventh in the NFL with 13 sacks and is tied for 10th with 13 tackles for loss.

The Browns will host the Chicago Bears on Sunday in search of their ninth win this season. They have only won nine games in a season three times since returning to the NFL in 1999.

After calling the officiating of the Cleveland Browns' Sunday win over the Jacksonville Jaguars a "travesty," Browns defensive end Myles Garrett isn't backing down from his criticism of officials.

"Right now I'm not getting any calls, so it can't get much worse than that, but I hope it has a positive effect," Garrett said Friday, per NBC Sports' Michael David Smith. "I'm not trying to offend anybody. I just want them to do their job to the best of their ability."

Garrett said after the Browns' 31-27 win that officials had missed calls including holds, false starts and hands to the face, per the Chronicle-Telegram's Scott Petrak.

When asked if he had been disciplined by the NFL for his comments, Garrett declined to answer, per Smith.

"I've got a lot of respect for those guys, but we get scrutinized for the plays that we don't make, so someone has to hold them accountable for the plays, or the calls, they don't make," Garrett said after the game. "They need to be under the same kind of microscope as we are every single play."

Garrett added Friday that his criticism had been inspired by more than just officiating during Sunday's game.

"It had been something that had been stoked for a while last couple weeks, and then other rushers have been also dealing with the same thing," Garrett said, per 92.3 The Fan's Daryl Ruiter. "I can only speak for myself, but once you've got a whole position kind of fed up of how they're being treated, then you kind know something's kind of off."

Head coach Kevin Stefanski backed Garrett and his comments on Friday, per Ruiter.

"We're not the thought police," Stefanski said. "Our guys can voice their opinions."

Stefanski added that encouraging a close watch on the players blocking Garrett is "something I talk to the officials about every week leading up to the game," per the Akron Beacon Journal (h/t NBC Sports.)

Garrett, who has 13.0 sacks on the season, is in the middle of his first three-game sack drought since 2021. He will look to end that stretch this Sunday as the Browns take on the Chicago Bears at home.

Myles Garrett sounded off on officials following the Cleveland Browns' 31-27 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

"The officiating was a travesty today," Garrett told reporters after the game (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "It was honestly awful. And the fact that they're letting them get away with hands to the face, holding, false starting—I know they called a couple, but damn, they could have called it all game."

The Browns were whistled for eight penalties totaling 75 yards during the game, while the Jaguars were called for seven penalties that amounted to just 40 yards.

Garrett delivered another dominant performance despite failing to pick up a sack, racking up a tackle for loss and three quarterback hits in the win. The Browns' defense gave up 13 points in the fourth quarter, although a key fourth-down stop with just under four minutes remaining in the game caused the Jaguars' comeback attempt to fall short.

The 27-year-old was still upset with the lack of penalties assessed to Jacksonville's offensive line, calling for officials to be held responsible for missed flags.

"I mean, respect to those guys, it's a hard job, but hell, we have a hard job as well," Garrett said, per Florio. "You can't make it harder by throwing holding and hands to the face out the rulebook. And like I said, I got a lot of respect for those guys, but we get scrutinized for the plays that we don't make. So someone has to hold them accountable for the plays or the calls they don't make."

Garrett has been one of the best defensive players in the league this season by accumulating 13.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, and three passes defensed in 13 starts. His ability to consistently pressure opposing signal-callers is arguably the main reason why the Browns own the top-ranked pass defense in the NFL.

Meanwhile, Joe Flacco entrenched himself as Cleveland's starting quarterback for the rest of the season by turning back the clock against the Jaguars' defense. The 38-year-old threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns against one interception, taking just one sack.

The Browns maintained their hold on the top Wild Card spot in the AFC after the win, moving to 8-5 on the season.

Cleveland Browns superstar pass-rusher Myles Garrett is considered day-to-day with a shoulder injury, head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Monday.

An MRI Monday revealed no structural damage in the shoulder, via ESPN's Jake Trotter.

The veteran suffered the injury during the team's 29-12 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Garrett told members of the media after the game that he "felt something in his left shoulder pop," according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

The four-time Pro Bowl defensive end's arm was in a sling in the Browns' locker room and he reportedly had trouble getting his shirt on due to the discomfort (per Trotter). After an MRI Monday, it seems the injury isn't as bad as it could have been.

Garrett has not only been the leader of Cleveland's defense, but he's putting together one of the most dominant seasons of any player in the NFL this year. The former No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft amassed 13.0 sacks heading into Sunday's action, the highest total in the league.

He's a major reason why the Browns have built a 7-4 record through 11 games despite starting quarterback Deshaun Watson appearing in just six contests in 2023. Watson is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, landing him on Injured Reserve on Nov. 15.

If he were to miss an extended period of time, it's difficult to imagine Cleveland's defense maintaining its sixth-ranked scoring defense in the league. In that potential scenario, the Browns would lean on defensive ends Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Za'Darius Smith to replace Garrett's production.

However, the two have only combined for 6.5 sacks this season.

The Browns' coaching staff will be closely monitoring Garrett's status ahead of the team's next game, a Week 13 showdown with the Los Angeles Rams. Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m.