Myles Garrett’s Trade Request Could Unravel Final Pieces Of Browns’ Identity

The Cleveland Browns haven’t budged since defensive star Myles Garrett made his trade request earlier this week. But with Garrett interested in competing with a contender, Cleveland may be stuck as other defensive stars begin to reconsider their own plans. 

“I want to be in Cleveland,” Browns cornerback Denzel Ward told Cleveland.com this week. “I want to win. I’m definitely keeping an eye on what Myles has going on and what he’s doing. I’m just interested in seeing how everything plays out. Like I said, I want to play with Myles Garrett, and we’ve just got to wait and see.”

It’s easy to see Garrett going to any number of teams, as the six-time Pro-Bowler would instantly improve any defense in the NFL. The Lions and Commanders both stand out as win-now contenders looking for defensive upgrades. The Raiders and Patriots, on the other hand, are rebuilding teams with clear paths to imminent improvement. The Browns, by comparison, are in stasis.

Losing Garrett means more than losing him as a player for Cleveland. Giving in to his request to play for a “contender” will mark the end of yet another failed era. Admitting that there isn’t a way forward in the near future and giving away their best player will likely doom the Browns to multiple losing seasons as they stockpile the draft picks necessary to rebuild.

The team’s problems have nothing to do with Garrett and hardly involve the defense at all. Quarterback Deshaun Watson still has plenty of time remaining on one of the worst contracts in NFL history. 

The offense improves each year with the help of short-term quarterbacks stepping in as starters, but these arrangements haven’t allowed the staff to create a cohesive system. A surprise run to the playoffs in 2023 didn’t lead to any momentum at all in 2024. The team seems doomed to gritty mediocrity. Even if Garrett’s trade request is a play at more money, it’s also a sign that he can see the writing on the wall. 

“I needed to relax, decompress and take some time to think about it with my family and allow myself to distance myself from the last game,” Garrett told USA Today. “After conversations with [my family] and still feeling the same way about the trajectory of the team, and also speaking with [the Browns] management about the near future and our success and playoff hopes, I felt like it was time for a transition.”

In Garrett’s rookie season in 2017, the Browns went 0-16. Cleveland bounced back to appear in the playoffs in 2020 and 2023, but they remain the only winning seasons in Garrett’s tenure. In 2024, Cleveland went 3-14.