Getty

Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett.

The Cleveland Browns are not sounding alarms over Myles Garrett’s absence from voluntary workouts, but the situation continues to draw more scrutiny.

Garrett has stayed away from the team’s offseason program as the Browns move through their first spring under new head coach Todd Monken. While the workouts are voluntary, Garrett’s absence has become a bigger storyline because he has yet to meet Monken face-to-face. Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN called the dynamic “awkward” during an appearance on 92.3 The Fan.

“At its best, it’s an awkward situation,” Oyefusi said. “Myles Garrett is completely in his right to not attend these voluntary practices. But at the same time, the normal practice is that when you are a leader, you set the tone, meet the new coach, and converse with them. Talk with them to establish what needs to be done and what’s expected out of them.”

Garrett has earned significant latitude with the franchise. He is coming off a record-setting 23-sack season, remains the face of Cleveland’s defense and has long operated on his own offseason schedule. His absence from voluntary work is not unusual by itself. The issue has become the broader context.

Questions Remain About Myles Garrett’s Buy-in

Monken was hired in January, and the Browns are trying to reset after a disappointing 5-12 season. Garrett is the team’s most important defensive player and one of the most influential voices in the locker room. He made it clear at the end of last season that winning is his only priority.

“I’m committed to winning, and as long as the team [and] organization are doing so and they’re committed to that same thing, then I’m all on board,” Garrett said. “But if we’re thinking anything other than winning, tanking or rebuilding, that’s not me.”

Monken has tried to downplay the Garrett situation publicly.

“This is voluntary,” Monken said. “We’re making a big deal out of this. We really are. It’s voluntary. We have other guys besides Myles that aren’t here. I wish they were here. They’ll be ready.”

Contract Tweak Has Fuelled Myles Garrett Trade Buzz

The other piece of the Garrett storyline is his adjusted contract. The Browns made changes to Garrett’s deal earlier this offseason, and the move sparked speculation because it made a potential post-June 1 trade more manageable from a financial standpoint.

General manager Andrew Berry has pushed back on that idea. He said the adjustment had “nothing to do” with a possible trade and has repeatedly made it clear the Browns are not trying to move Garrett. Oyefusi said the problem is that the contract change still invites questions.

“The wrinkle is the adjusted contract, which by all accounts, makes it easier to trade him post-June 1,” Oyefusi said. “Andrew Berry said it has nothing to do with a potential trade. But we really have no other reason why they adjusted the contract. Until Myles is there, speaks on the issues and re-expresses his commitment to the organization, questions like that are only going to linger until it’s squashed by Myles himself.”

The next key date for Garrett and the Browns is mandatory minicamp from June 9-11.