Myles Garrett bracing for AFC 'slaughterhouse' as Browns challenge for playoff return

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Myles Garrett wasn't on the field for the Browns' first two training camp practices. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year knows that's not when his teammates really need him.

Where they're going to need Garrett is during a schedule that, at least based upon last season's records and this year's starting quarterbacks, is one of the toughest in the league. That starts on the first day of the season, something he knows very well considering who the Browns open up against.

"It's Dallas," Garrett said Friday of the Sept. 8 opener against the Cowboys. "It's home. I don't plan on losing. That's it."

The Cowboys are just the start of the grind for the Browns, who are trying to post back-to-back winning seasons and playoff appearances for the first time since they did it four consecutive years from 1986-89. Their 2024 opponents won 54.7% of their games last season, which was the highest opponent win percentage for any team's schedule this year.

Garrett has no interest in downplaying the degree of difficulty the Browns face in their desire to return to the playoffs. Instead, he's full-on embracing it, because he knows there's no other way to go.

"It's a slaughterhouse over here in the AFC, but guys who come out of it are usually the top dog in the NFL," Garrett said Friday at The Greenbrier. "So we look forward to it, especially in our division and we know that it's going to be gritty, grimy, it's going to be tough every AFC North game. So we are excited every time we get to share the field with those guys, compete against those guys and those kind of matchups, they don't lie in the back of my mind.

"We look forward to those every single time. So whether it's the Dolphins or it's the Chiefs, it's the Bills, Ravens all them. We look forward to those guys and we look forward to making a statement every time we step on the field with great teams like that."

The Browns, and Garrett, still have more than a month to wait until they get to see Dallas. Their first division game isn't for nearly two months, when the Cincinnati Bengals come to Cleveland on Oct. 19.

The time until then, as well as the grind that is any regular season, is why Garrett spent most of the first two camp practices watching his teammates. The reason given was precautionary with a right hamstring issue that arose on the final day of minicamp in June.

Even Garrett, who hasn't worn a visible wrap on his leg during camp, acknowledges the hamstring isn't as much the cause of the cautiousness. Instead, it goes right back to the "slaughterhouse."

"I wouldn't say it lingered too much," Garrett said. "I think it was just a matter of being overly cautious and we just not wanting to play with fire. So just making sure that we slowly bounce back so we don't have any setbacks here right before the season or during the season."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Myles Garrett bracing for AFC 'slaughterhouse' as Browns challenge for playoff return