With the single-season sack record in his sights, Cleveland Browns phenom Myles Garrett has captured the attention of the one man who knows quarterback hunting better than anyone: Bruce Smith. The NFL’s all-time sack king sees more than just a great player; he sees a legend in the making, capable of breaking even his own ‘unbreakable’ records.
When an athlete approaches a hallowed record, the sports world takes notice. But when the greatest to ever do it stops what he’s doing to watch, it signifies something more. That’s the reality for Myles Garrett, who isn’t just threatening the NFL’s single-season sack record; he’s commanding the respect and awe of the position’s undisputed king, Bruce Smith.
As Garrett prepares to face the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, he sits at 20 sacks for the season. The record, a formidable 22.5 sacks co-owned by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt, is just a few takedowns away. But for Smith, the man who amassed an untouchable 200 career sacks, the number is secondary to the artistry. He’s clearing his schedule to watch Garrett play.
“It’s so impressive,” Smith, a Hall of Famer, told USA TODAY Sports. “I’ll make sure I’m in front of the TV to watch him play whenever I can, to see how teams are blocking him and see how he is reacting to the double-teams and all the different types of blocking schemes.”
Greatness Recognizes Greatness
Smith’s analysis goes far beyond casual praise. He sees the nuances that make Garrett a generational force. In a league where star pass rushers are routinely double-teamed, Garrett faces a relentless onslaught. He draws double-team blocks on approximately 30% of his pass-rushing snaps, with additional chip blocks from tight ends and running backs pushing the total rate of extra attention to nearly 70%.
Yet, he continues to dominate. This season marks his sixth consecutive year with at least 12 sacks, an NFL first. For Smith, Garrett’s ability to overcome these schemes is what separates him from the pack.
“He is rare,” Smith stated. “It’s the way he bends… when he gets in arm’s-length reach of an offensive lineman, he bends. He ducks under the stab of the offensive lineman, and he’s still able to get leverage. It virtually makes him unblockable.”
A Titan on a Struggling Team
Garrett’s historic campaign is made all the more remarkable by his team’s circumstances. The Cleveland Browns are languishing with a 3-10 record, far from the NFL playoff picture. It’s a frustrating reality for a player performing at the peak of his powers, a situation that led Garrett to publicly request a trade in February.
The Browns, however, knew exactly what they had. Instead of exploring a trade, they doubled down, signing Garrett to a massive four-year, $160 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league at the time. The deal, which ties him to Cleveland through 2030, was a clear statement: Myles Garrett is the franchise cornerstone, win or lose.
His performance is a weekly justification of that faith. If he wins NFL Defensive Player of the Year, he’d be the first from a team with a losing record to do so since Jason Taylor in 2006, a testament to individual brilliance transcending team failure.
The Path Forward: From Record Books to a Legacy
The next challenge is Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who is under no illusions about the threat Garrett poses. “You just have to make sure that every single snap, every single play, everything is not allowing them to wreck the game,” Williams said. “That’s something he can do. That’s something he’s done his whole career.”
The connection between Garrett and Smith is more than just mutual respect; it’s a mentorship. Smith visited Garrett before the 2017 draft and worked with him at his first NFL training camp. Now, he sees the potential for Garrett to chase an even bigger ghost: Smith’s own career record of 200 sacks.
With 122.5 career sacks, Garrett already ranks 22nd on the all-time list, according to official league data. His average of 16 sacks per 17 games puts him on a trajectory few have ever matched. “If anybody’s got a chance to do it, it would be Myles Garrett,” Smith admitted.
As Garrett hunts down the single-season record, he is also building a case for something far greater. He is not just putting his name in the record books; he is proving himself worthy of the crown worn for decades by Bruce Smith. This isn’t just a record chase; it’s the confirmation of a legend.
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