Myles Garrett thinks 'winning's definitely still at the forefront' for Browns after trades

BEREA, Ohio — Myles Garrett made it clear in February he wanted to play for a contender. The Browns defensive end ultimately ended his public trade request with a four-year contract extension to keep him in Cleveland until he’s in his mid-30s.

Five games into the season, the Browns are 1-4 as they prepare to head to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers. Not only that, they traded away two opening-day starters in quarterback Joe Flacco and cornerback Greg Newsome II on back-to-back days in the middle of the week.

Not exactly the look of a contender or organization that’s thinking about winning in the present, at least on the outside. To their star edge rusher, he has no doubts the Browns remain committed to the same goals that they were months ago when he re-committed to them.

“No, I think winning’s definitely still at the forefront of what we want to do,” Garrett said Friday, “and I think (trading) a player for a player is trying to add someone who will come in here and have immediate effect what his skillset brings.”

The “player for a player” was the stunning deal Wednesday that sent cornerback Greg Newsome II to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for cornerback Tyson Campbell. Newsome was off to arguably the best start of his career through five games, for a defense that ranks in the top four in multiple major statistical categories.

That trade, made late at night, came on the heels of a mid-day trade the day before that was more surprising because of the other team involved than the player. The Browns sent quarterback Joe Flacco, who started the first four games before being relegated to the backup role in Week 5, to their AFC North rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals.

Garrett wasn’t about to act like the news didn’t catch him off-guard. That, to him at least, is different than questioning the direction the team is heading.

“I mean, surprised, everyone was surprised about the news, especially for Greg’s since it happened so late in the evening,” Garrett said. “But this organization is committed to winning and trying to find a way to win and going a player for a player, they’re trying to go for someone that they feel, I guess suits our style a little bit better and makes the defense better however he can by bringing his skillset.”

Campbell has practiced twice with the Browns but is expected to start against the Steelers. Garrett admitted he’s had very few long interactions with the newest defensive starter, although he was looking forward to the time “whenever we get the time where life slows down for a little bit and we can sit, hopefully tomorrow, we can talk about the game, get to know each other, my style, his style, and we can start to integrate him in that way.”

As for Newsome, Garrett acknowledged the loss was much deeper than just what he did on the field.

“We’ll always have love for G-New,” Garrett said. “Loved going to work with him, loved being his teammate. He always has had a smile on his face, he was always optimistic and know we’ll definitely miss that and I hope he does well out there in Jacksonville.”

For now, regardless of what Garrett may feel on the inside about the trades or the organizational direction or any of that, his focus is pointed to a game that has been personal for him for some time. There’s a multitude of reasons why games against the Steelers, especially in Pittsburgh, have an extra meaning to the four-time All-Pro.

Right now, this specific one carries the extra meaning of the Browns needing to prove on the field that the concerns about the direction of the team off the field are unfounded. The only way to do that is to go over and win in a place where Cleveland hasn’t won a regular-season game since 2003, although it did win the AFC wild-card game there following the 2020 regular season.

Garrett’s going to need the help of a number of rookies who will be in key spots around him, including their starting quarterback (Dillon Gabriel), running back (Quinshon Judkins), wide receiver (Isaiah Bond), defensive tackle (Mason Graham) and linebacker (Carson Schwesinger), plus their No. 2 tight end (Harold Fannin Jr.) There’s only one message he has to give them for what to expect.

“It’s not going to be pretty,” Garrett said. “All that matters is you get the win. We have been through a lot of gritty, grimy matchups with these guys and it’s a rivalry for a reason. … Just play confidently, play your game, trust in your teammates and we’ll support you. Don’t worry about playing the cleanest game or the perfect game, just worry about the next play and how you can make the most out of it.”