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Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns

There have been two big questions that have consistently loomed over the Cleveland Browns this offseason. The first is a clear one that is playing out right in front of us and is being openly discussed every time a Browns coach or player gets in front of a microphone. The second is leas clear, though, and being played out in the murky world of NFL rumors and speculation. And that question, of course, is whether pass-rushing edge Myles Garrett will be traded, whether the bread crumbs that seem to be leading to a Garrett deal are an actual trail or just a series of random coincidences.

There is certainly logic in trading Garrett. The Browns are attempting a sort of patchwork rebuild, which could lead to something like a 10-7 record (at the most optimistic) and a playoff spot. But they’re doing so without the benefit of a franchise quarterback, which means their success in the short and long terms is limited.

A full rebuild with a hoard of draft picks and a worthy quarterback is needed, and by the time the Browns accomplish that, they’re likely to have missed the window of peak Garrett greatness.

Browns’ Myles Garrett Set Sack Record in 2025

That’s a worthy debate. But assuming the idea of the Browns trading Garrett remains theoretical, there’s also the matter of the 2026 season and how fun it will be to watch Garrett attempt to repeat what he did in 2025–set the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23.0.

He won’t need to go that far, even, to establish a new record. He could hit the NFL annals simply by recording 20 sacks this season, which would make him the first player in the history of the league to go for 20 sacks in consecutive years.

Myles Garrett Could Go for 20 Sacks Again

And at Bleacher Report, writer Gary Davenport predicts that is in store for the Browns star. In a post titled, “Predicting the 8 Biggest Surprises of the 2026 NFL Season,” Garrett is included for back-to-back 20-sack seasons.

Davenport points out that the prediction holds true even if Garrett is traded: “Frankly, where this prediction is concerned it doesn’t matter if the Browns trade Garrett or not. It’s not like he was getting a lot of help or seeing a lot of positive game scripts last year, and he still set the record. Garrett is a force of nature. It doesn’t matter if he’s double-teamed. Or chipped. Garrett’s going to eat. It’s like Godzilla vs. the Japanese military.

“Since sacks became an official stat in 1982, there have been 13 players who have recorded 20 sacks in a season. Of that baker’s dozen, only one (J.J. Watt) did it more than once, and no one has done it in consecutive seasons.”

Browns Defense Is Deep and Talented

Now, anyone who watched the Browns consistently in 2025 knows Davenport is wrong–Garrett had help. The Browns had one of the best defenses in the NFL, and while Garrett was a big part of the reason for that, there were other stars in place along the front, at linebacker in the secondary. No defense is a one-man band.

Maybe the biggest issue for a Garrett 20-sack repeat would be the departure of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, whom Garrett has credited for taking him from great to elite. Now, he is being replaced by former Jets linebackers coach Mike Rutenberg. How the Browns defense, generally, responds to Schwartz’s absence remains to be seen.