Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett was injured while doing the obstacle course in Sunday’s NFL Pro Bowl Challenge events.
In recent years, the NFL Pro Bowl has struggled to get viewership and player buy-in to compete at a high physical level.
Player injuries at the end of a long and grueling season were why the traditional tackle football game (that did not include much tackling) was scrapped in 2023 in favor of flag football.
Garrett suffered a dislocated toe and limped off the course.
Probably not what Cleveland wants to see. Myles Garrett limping off. pic.twitter.com/3lprj1kOpw
— Darren Carr (@DCarr75) February 5, 2023
#Browns star DE Myles Garrett is believed to have suffered a dislocated toe while competing in today’s Pro Bowl Games, per source. X-rays came back negative. Garrett limped off the field in Las Vegas.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 5, 2023
No one wants to see players injured, so it leads to more questions about how to handle this event moving forward.
2022 Was Rough For Garrett
2022 was a rough season for Myles Garrett.
He was sidelined for one game with injuries he suffered in a car accident when driving home from practice in September.
Browns confirm Myles Garrett was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injury after car accident on way home from practice.
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) September 26, 2022
Then, he had to deal with a Browns’ defense that was bogged down in communication problems and did not play well most of the season.
As a result, defensive coordinator Joe Woods was fired after the season ended.
And if that was not enough, Garrett’s former teammate Jadeveon Clowney did a no-holds-barred interview with Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot days before the Week 18 season finale.
Clowney shared his frustrations about how he was used and insinuated that Garrett got the favorable matchups.
#Browns Myles Garrett on Jadeveon Clowney's comments that he got favorable matchups despite Garrett being double-teamed at one of the highest rates.
"It's a little confusing but we could have had clarity if he had just talked to us." pic.twitter.com/csdVj1CNv3
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) January 6, 2023
As a result, Clowney was sent home and never appeared in that Week 18 game.
Garrett was left confused and blindsided by Clowney’s feelings and indicated things could have been cleared up if they had talked it through in the locker room.
2023 Browns Need To Be Better
Garrett presumably will have plenty of time to recover from the injury so he can lead the 2023 Cleveland Browns who must be better than their 2022 7-10 counterparts.
New defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will work to fix the defensive inadequacies, and the Browns will have quarterback Deshaun Watson for the entire 17-game stretch.
This team, year after year, has a talented roster of players in their prime like Garrett, Nick Chubb, and Denzel Ward to name a few.
It has to get better right now, or it will be in jeopardy of wasting the best years of these players’ careers.
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