In the post-1999 history of the Cleveland Browns, few players have stuck around long enough to weather an entire boom-or-bust cycle.
Defensive end Myles Garrett—one of the franchise's all-time greats—is one of them. He played for an 0-16 team as a rookie in 2017, helped the team make two playoff appearances in 2020 and 2023, and endured life on a 3-14 team in 2024.
After the Browns lost 35–10 to the Baltimore Ravens Saturday to end their season, Garrett weighed the disappointment of '24 with the aimlessness of his rookie year—and seemed to find '17 preferable.
"It's probably a more disappointing season because of what we expected out of ourselves," Garrett told reporters via ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.
The '17 team wound up with the top pick of the 2018 draft, which Cleveland used on quarterback Baker Mayfield—who temporarily injected life into the franchise. On Sunday, the Browns will learn whether their '24 struggles will pay dividends in the 2025 draft.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Browns' Myles Garrett Draws Surprising Contrast Between 2024 Squad and 0-16 Team.
