Just call Myles Garrett Nero, blowing his fiddle as he watches the Cleveland Browns burn. In a dominating performance by the Cincinnati Bengals, Garrett recorded his 100th career sack. While he took longer than T.J. Watt to reach that mark, he did so at a younger age.
In fact, Garrett is now the youngest player in NFL history to reach 100 career sacks. He will turn 29 years old on Dec. 29. Watt recorded his 100th sack earlier this season, just before his 30th birthday. So Garrett reached 100 sacks about a year in his life earlier than did Watt.
In terms of career span, Myles Garrett has reached 100 career sacks in the fourth-fastest time in NFL history. Reggie White remains the only player to do so in fewer than 100 games, doing so in just 96. T.J. Watt hit the mark in 109 games, with DeMarcus Ware doing it in 113.
With his sack of Joe Burrow on Sunday, Garrett reached the milestone in his 115th game. That ties him with Hall of Famer Bruce Smith, who owns the all-time NFL record with 200 career sacks. Smith recorded his 200 sack in his 277th game, the second-to-last game of his career. The second 100 took 163 games, or 48 more than the first 100.
The Browns selected Myles Garrett with the first-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Steelers drafting T.J. Watt with the 30. Especially because they were drafted into the same division, the two have consistently drawn comparisons to one another. There is a certain rivalry between them, though—which seems to mean more to Garrett, admittedly.
After recording three sacks against the Steelers earlier this season in a game in which Watt did little, Garrett was clearly fired up. He essentially declared himself the best defensive player in the game, saying he wanted to prove it against the Steelers. He has recorded two sacks since then, and now has 12 for the season, a whopping half-sack more than Watt.
The Browns, meanwhile, are 3-12 on the season, and Garrett seems to be questioning his future with the organization. They were just embarrassed by the Bengals, 24-6, even in spite of Garrett’s irrelevant sack. During the game, he recorded three total tackles with two for loss. He also jumped offsides, giving the Bengals a free play, on which Burrow hit Ja’Marr Chase for a 32-yard touchdown.
So, Myles Garrett can enjoy his 100th sack, and his 12th loss, and perhaps a second-place finish for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. After last season, perhaps he actually thought the Browns might be good. Perhaps he thought he would be good enough to drive them to relevance.
Is he finally disabusing himself of that notion? How committed are the Browns to keeping Garrett, who is still under contract through 2026? What kind of plan will they put in place this offseason to convince him they actually care about winning? Right now, it doesn’t sound like a great one.
