Myles Garrett

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett expects to be ready for the team's Week 6 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that Garrett left in a walking boot following the Browns' 28-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday, but that he said he would be ready to go after the team's Week 5 bye.

Cleveland is 2-2 to start the season, and while the Week 5 bye is normally looked at as disappointing, being able to give Garrett the proper time to recover is something the Browns are surely happy with.

Garrett has been a force through four games in 2023, registering 5.5 sacks and 10 total tackles. He left Sunday's game after landing on his leg during a sack attempt and went to the medical tent, but would return later on for a third down play.

Still, Garrett leaving in a boot shows that the injury is at least somewhat significant. Having Garrett miss any time would be devastating to a Browns team that lost ground in a competitive AFC North division. Sunday's loss put them a game behind the Ravens, who now lead the division at 3-1, and into a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who handed the team its other loss on the season in Week 2.

While it is admittedly early to be looking at those numbers, this division could be one that does come down to a game or two and avenging those losses will be crucial for a Browns team that is hoping to take a step forward.

Following the October 15 bout with the 49ers, the Browns will be looking at matchups against the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals before getting second chances against the Steelers and Ravens.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett doesn't believe that Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick did anything illegal in regards to his hit on Browns running back Nick Chubb, who suffered a season-ending left knee injury on Monday.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com and the Cleveland Plain-Dealer relayed Garrett's remarks.

"Minkah didn't do anything illegal," Garrett said.

"He was playing the game how it's supposed to be played. It was very unfortunate what happened, Nick getting held up but just having, just planting his foot and the hit and all that. That's not unlike what corners around the league do. This is something that's very common."

Fitzpatrick went low on Chubb to make a tackle during the Steelers' 26-22 win. He spoke to reporters about it afterward in defense of himself.

"It's very unfortunate. It's a tough, tough injury," Fitzpatrick said, per ESPN.com. "Unfortunately, part of the game that we play. I know there's people that (thought I) had ill will behind the tackle. It's not the case whatsoever.

"I'm a guy that's a competitor who's going to go out there and play the game. I'm chippy. I'm edgy, of course, but I'm not a dirty player. I'm not going to sit here and defend my character. I know the type of player I am. Chubb knows the type of player I am. I've played against him a bunch in the past. Five years, two times a year. I love competing against him. He brings the best out of me, and I bring the best out of him."

Other current and former players also defended Fitzpatrick's actions, including Browns safety Grant Delpit and ex-New England Patriots DB Jason McCourty:

Chubb, a six-year NFL veteran, made four straight Pro Bowls entering this season. He's coming off a year where he amassed 1,525 rushing yards and 12 scores. Without Chubb, the Browns will roll with Jerome Ford and the newly-signed Kareem Hunt, who played for Cleveland from 2019-2022.

Cleveland Browns superstar pass-rusher Myles Garrett likely encapsulated the feelings of his teammates and all Browns fans Monday night after Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb suffered a devastating injury.

According to ESPN's Brianna Williams, Garrett said: "It f--king hurts. That's our brother, that's my brother and it's a blow for the whole team."

Chubb suffered a gruesome knee injury on a low hit by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick during the second quarter of Cleveland's 26-22. Chubb had to be carted off the field and did not return.

Per ESPN's Jake Trotter, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski called the injury "significant" and said he expects Chubb to miss the remainder of the 2023 season.

Chubb has arguably been the NFL's best running back during his six-year career, as he entered the 2023 campaign having earned four consecutive Pro Bowl selections.

The 27-year-old star topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark every year from 2019 through 2022, and prior to this season, he had never rushed for fewer than eight touchdowns in a season.

Last year marked the best year of Chubb's career to date, as he rushed for a career-high 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also catching 27 passes for 239 yards and one score.

Chubb has never averaged fewer than 5.0 yards per carry in a season and owns a career yards-per-carry average of 5.3. Prior to getting injured Monday, Chubb had rushed for 170 yards this season and was averaging 6.1 yards per tote.

After Chubb exited the game, Jerome Ford stepped up and performed exceptionally behind Cleveland's talented offensive line.

Ford rushed for 106 yards on 16 carries, including a 69-yard run that saw him get tackled inside the 1-yard line.

While the Browns may still be able to have success with their ground game even without Chubb, there is no question that they will be nowhere near as dynamic and consistent while he is on the shelf.

Also, quarterback Deshaun Watson and the passing game have struggled for the 1-1 Browns thus far, as he is completing just 55.1 percent of his passes for 389 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions through two games.

Chubb helped take pressure off of Watson, but his absence means much more of the offensive burden is likely to be placed on Watson's shoulders moving forward.

There was a great deal of excitement surrounding the Browns following their Week 1 upset of the Cincinnati Bengals, but there is little doubt that Chubb's injury coupled with a loss to the Steelers has tempered expectations.

The Cleveland Browns have the most cap space in the NFL after reportedly restructuring star pass-rusher Myles Garrett's contract.

According to ESPN's Field Yates, the AFC North team created $12.9 million in 2023 cap space by restructuring the deal. Yates noted Cleveland's approximately $34 million in cap space is "easily the most in the NFL" at this point.

Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal noted Cleveland previously restructured guard Joel Bitonio's contract this offseason in a move that created $7.9 million in cap room.

Prior to the Garrett move, the Arizona Cardinals had the most cap space in the NFL at $24.6 million, per Over The Cap.

Garrett has a potential out in his deal for 2024, but he is not scheduled for free agency until 2027. He is the face of the Browns at this point and one of the most dominant defensive players in the entire league.

Cleveland selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft, and he has lived up to the expectations that come with such a selection. His resume includes four Pro Bowl nods and two First-Team All-Pro selections.

The Texas A&M product finished last season with 60 tackles, 16 sacks, four passes defended and two forced fumbles.

Garrett and the Browns start their 2023 season on Sept. 10 against the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals.

A Defensive Player of the Year and a league-best 18.5 sacks wasn't quite good enough to land Nick Bosa a spot in the 99 club in the newest edition of Madden.

Madden NFL 24 released its ratings for the top 10 edge-rushers on Tuesday, and the San Francisco 49ers star just missed a 99 ranking. He wasn't the only edge-rusher who landed at 98 overall, as Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns did as well.

The two pass-rushers led the top 10 of a talented group that also includes Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys and T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers:

1. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers (98 overall)

2. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns (98 overall)

3. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys (97 overall)

4. T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers (94 overall)

5. Von Miller, Buffalo Bills (94 overall)

6. Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders (94 overall)

7. Joey Bosa, Los Angeles Chargers (91 overall)

8. Haason Reddick, Philadelphia Eagles (90 overall)

9. Demarcus Lawrence, Dallas Cowboys (90 overall)

10. Matthew Judon, New England Patriots (89 overall)

There wasn't much more Bosa could have done during the 2022 campaign to earn a 99.

He finished with 51 tackles, 18.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass defended despite consistently facing double teams and the opponents' best offensive linemen. It was another brilliant season after he finished the 2021 one with 15.5 sacks and a league-best 21 tackles for loss.

The numbers are even more impressive when considering he appeared in just two games in 2020 because of a torn ACL. It took him seemingly no time to bounce back and establish himself among the NFL's elite, and Madden recognized him with the best rating for edge-rushers.

Garrett also landed a 98 rating after he finished the 2022 campaign with 60 tackles, 16 sacks, four passes defended and two forced fumbles. It was his second consecutive year with 16 sacks and his fifth straight one with double-digit totals in the category.

Like Bosa, he faced double teams and the best shot from opponents on a weekly basis but still used his explosiveness to rack up sacks as one of the league's best playmakers on either side of the ball.

It is a testament to how deep the edge-rusher position is in the NFL that players such as Parsons, Watt, Von Miller and Maxx Crosby are behind multiple pass-rushers in the newest Madden ratings.

The list of elite players at the position only figures to increase as teams continue to put a premium on getting to the quarterback in today's pass-happy NFL, but Bosa and Garrett are the gold standard for the time being.

San Francisco 49ers superstar Nick Bosa is the best edge-rusher in the NFL.

Well, at least according to ESPN's recent ranking of the top-10 players at the position.

As Jeremy Fowler of ESPN noted, the company "surveyed league executives, coaches, scouts and players" to get their top 10 players at the position. ESPN then gathered the results and ranked players "based on number of top-10 votes, composite average, along with dozens of interviews, research and film-study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen."

Bosa topped the edge-rushers, which isn't a shock after he led the NFL with 18.5 sacks last season, his second straight season with 15 or more sacks.

"Size, strength, power, speed, quickness, solid length, repertoire of moves and high motor," a high-ranking NFL official told Fowler. "He's got it all."

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett came in at No. 2, followed by Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons at No. 3.

"It wouldn't surprise me if he's No. 1 by next year," one NFL coordinator told Fowler regarding Parsons. "His talent is undeniable."

The Pittsburgh Steelers' T.J. Watt and the Philadelphia Eagles' Haason Reddick rounded out the top five of the rankings.