Pass rushers are usually measured by one number. Sacks drive contracts, award votes and highlight packages, and the best edge defenders in the league are often defined by how many times they bring down the quarterback. Coaches tend to see the position a little differently. Jim Schwartz offered a revealing look at what made Myles Garrett special during their time together in Cleveland.
Schwartz shared his thoughts on Garrett during an appearance on Move the Sticks with Daniel Jeremiah. He said that his ability to play the run was his most underrated trait.
“Scratch [the sack record and the Defensive Player of the Year awards]. It’s his ability to play the run when I was in Cleveland because everybody knows he’s a great pass rusher, and as a coach, I mean, is that because of me or is that because of him, right? But look at his three years of playing the run and watch how many times he got tackles for loss. Sacks get a lot of attention, right? They’re big plays, and they’re resume builders, but if it’s 1st and 10 and you get a sack for minus five, or you get a TFL on a wide play for minus five, it’s 2nd and 15, right? Great pass rusher. I’ve been very fortunate to coach some great pass rushers, but his combination of being able to play to run, be able to play to pass, it was just really fun to watch. We had a lot of success. We had some great players, but he was one of those game changers,” Schwartz said.
He coached Myles Garrett for 3 seasons as the Browns’ defensive coordinator, a stretch that included 2 Defensive Player of the Year awards and the NFL’s single-season sack record.
Yet the part of Garrett’s game Schwartz chose to highlight was not the sacks. It was his consistency against the run and his knack for creating negative plays on early downs, the kind of plays that rarely make highlight reels but can derail an entire drive.
Schwartz has coached his share of elite defensive linemen, from Jevon Kearse in Tennessee to Brandon Graham in Philadelphia. Placing Garrett among the true game changers he has worked with speaks to how complete a player he became.
The Browns sent Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams this offseason in exchange for Jared Verse and draft capital, a move that signaled a clear shift toward the future.
Interestingly, the Browns are now praising Verse for some of the same qualities Schwartz valued in Garrett. Mike Rutenberg recently highlighted Verse’s edge setting and force against the run, even as the young pass rusher searches for his first sack in Cleveland.
The defense has held up without its former star. The Browns rank among the top 5 in pressure rate and have gone 50 straight games without allowing a 300-yard passer, a sign the unit’s identity did not leave with him.
Still, Schwartz’s comments are a reminder of what made Garrett such a rare talent. He was not just a sack artist but a complete defender capable of changing a game on any down.
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