The king of the MVP title the past two years has come out of Green Bay.
Aaron Rodgers has shown during the regular season how he can win that coveted title.
However, this season, the Cleveland Browns and Myles Garrett have an eye on the MVP title.
With the title being in the hands of a quarterback for the last nine years, how can Garrett wrestle it away in 2022?
An interesting story will show how he can become the first defensive player since Lawrence Taylor to win MVP.
Garrett Keeps Improving Each Season
The record of the Browns’ star edge rusher tells a story of how he’s improving each year.
In 2021, he finished the season with 16 sacks and a 26.5% win rate when rushing the quarterback.
We move onto our Defense now. The Huskies keeper at DL is Browns Myles Garrett. He made 14 appearances last season scoring 122pts (avg 8.71 ppg) with 16 sacks & 33 solo tackles. Garrett is an elite talent, earning 90.0-plus pass-rush grades in each of the past three seasons. pic.twitter.com/ryKPq88oWr
— Bonnyrigg Huskies (@BonnyriggH) June 26, 2022
That win rate put him in first place among all other defensive ends during the 2021 season.
So with him making improvements each season, and him ranking number one, everything is going in the right direction.
However, his 16 sacks weren’t enough to get him the top spot for sacks in 2021.
That went to T. J. Watt, as he had 22.5 sacks last season.
But with Garrett making improvements, this could be that year where he peaks and dominates the NFL in all areas.
While the improvements can make a difference, there’s something else that could help him get the MVP title.
Garrett Needs To Lead Browns To Winning Games
The reason most MVP titles go to quarterbacks is that they are the ones who lead their teams to winning games.
However, defensive players who make plays that shift the odds and win games have won the MVP title before.
LT was that guy during the 1986 season, as he set a record 20.5 sacks that season behind 105 total tackles and two forced fumbles.
In 1986, Lawrence Taylor was elected as MVP after recording a total of 20.5 sacks in a single season. He became the second defensive player to do it.
After 36 years, where does he rank among the best? Comment below 👇 #100Days100Stories
ONLY 86 DAYS UNTIL #NFLKickoff pic.twitter.com/MFVHac95Nk— Sportskeeda Pro Football (@SKProFootball) June 14, 2022
While getting 105 tackles is a stretch, he could break the current single-season sack record of 22.5 this season.
If he can force fumbles that help the team win games, along with those sacks, then it would help his stock in the MVP race.
However, it’s on him to be the player behind the wins the Browns get in 2022.
That’s the key for his MVP race, which should be wide open this year.
What Makes 2022 Wide Open For MVP Contenders
With Rodgers missing key players on offense, this season makes it wide open for players to contend for the MVP.
However, Tom Brady and Aaron Donald seem to be the only other contenders against Garrett for the MVP title.
While Brady is getting old, Donald is right at his peak.
But Garrett has proven over the years he’s just as good at the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive end.
Highest pass rush win rates since 2018:
1 Robert Quinn: 28%
2. T.J. Watt: 27%
3. Myles Garrett: 26%
4. Aaron Donald: 26%
5. Jadeveon Clowney: 25%
Via @NextGenStats @ESPNStatsInfo— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) April 14, 2021
With Garrett being number one in 2021 with pass rush win rates for defensive ends, and top five overall since 2018, he’s got everything he needs for 2022.
So even with the competition ahead of him, he’s not worried about that on his quest for an MVP title.
He knows he can anchor the Browns’ defense and help send them to the playoffs in 2022, getting him an MVP title.
NEXT: Browns Set To Break A New Streak In 2022 Season