The players who are attending the Cleveland Browns’ organized team activities (OTAs) are providing plenty to look at. Quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are taking part in their much-publicized competition, and the heralded rookie class is showing what they can do when practicing against veterans.
It’s an optimistic outlook for a team that needs to start building its foundation under new head coach Todd Monken. However, one key player is notably absent, and it may not be for the reasons some might expect.
After causing a ripple by not showing up for voluntary minicamp in April, Myles Garrett has now made some waves by also deciding not to attend this first set of OTAs. They are voluntary, as well, and Garrett has skipped them in the past, but it was thought that, as a veteran leader and the team’s best player, he would show up to demonstrate his support for his new head coach and first-time defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg and help everyone get on the same page.
That is notably not the case, and analyst Anthony Lima made a surprising claim about Garrett, saying the All-Pro defensive end likes the attention that his absence brings.
“These players have platforms that they didn’t have 20 years ago, but Myles could diffuse all of this so easily. He could do all of this to alleviate it, which goes to show he kind of likes the conversation. Myles likes being talked about. He loves that Peter Schrager just mentioned him on national airwaves and brought it up as a story. He could go out of his way and make all of this disappear immediately by doing a Zoom call with the head coach,” Lima said.
"Myles could diffuse all of this so easily… which goes to show he kind of likes the conversation. Myles likes being talked about."
🏈@SportsBoyTony convinces @KenCarman that Myles Garrett might be skipping Browns voluntary activities on purpose pic.twitter.com/JPzW7WcVlw
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) May 22, 2026
Monken is clearly not happy having to answer questions about Garrett’s absence. The first-time NFL head coach was asked if he has had any face-to-face interaction with Garrett, and he gave a blunt, one-word response: “No.”
That has caused the frustration level to also rise among Browns fans and analysts. Last offseason, Garrett publicly requested a trade while seeking a contract extension. Trade rumors resurfaced in the run-up to the 2026 NFL Draft, with the thought being the Browns should try to get as much as they could for Garrett at peak value, coming off the NFL single-season sacks record and his second Defensive Player of the Year award.
Now that that window has passed as well, there is a fear that he may not be as committed to the franchise as he needs to be, a concern only he can make go away by actually showing up.
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