The Cleveland Browns began voluntary organized team activities, or OTAs, on May 19. Fresh off a record-breaking 23-sack season, Myles Garrett is not there with his team, according to Mary Kay Cabot. This is nothing new for the star edge rusher. The Texas A&M product wasn’t at OTAs last year, and that didn’t prevent him from having one of the best defensive seasons in football history. OTAs just aren’t a part of Garrett’s offseason agenda, which, considering the physical shape he is in, he clearly has down to a science.
“Garrett has a process for getting ready to play, and the Browns don’t have a problem with it,” Kay Cabot wrote in her report. “In fact, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam expects Garrett to ‘come in here and break the sack record again’.”
OTAs are voluntary, so Garrett doesn’t need to be there. He has established himself as the team’s star, and OTAs are often more geared towards players who are on rookie deals or trying to make the roster. There is no financial disincentive for Garrett’s absence, unlike when he missed minicamp, where he missed out on a $1 million kicker in his contract.
Garrett isn’t the only star missing OTAs. Kay Cabot also reported that Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit are absent. Despite their struggles as a team last season, the Browns have a lot of talent on the defensive end of the football. Cleveland expects major improvements this year in the standings, so the hope is that their lack of contributors at OTAs won’t have a negative effect on the season.
The Cleveland Browns began voluntary organized team activities, or OTAs, on May 19. Fresh off a record-breaking 23-sack season, Myles Garrett is not there with his team, according to Mary Kay Cabot. This is nothing new for the star edge rusher. The Texas A&M product wasn’t at OTAs last year, and that didn’t prevent him from having one of the best defensive seasons in football history.
