Cleveland Browns: Is Myles Garrett already the most important player?
A recent fan poll suggests that unproven rookie Myles Garrett is the most important player for the Cleveland Browns in 2017.
Who do you think is the most important member of the Cleveland Browns as we head into the 2017 season? Maybe it’s stalwart left tackle Joe Thomas. Maybe it’s whoever the heck the Browns name as the starting quarterback.
According to a reader poll recently conducted by Cleveland.com, fans believe the most important player this season is rookie pass-rusher Myles Garrett. Now, Garrett isn’t exactly a surprising choice. Many considered him the best player in the 2017 draft, and he’s believed to be the type of generational talent that can help transform a franchise.
Garrett is also the type of player who wants to earn everything on the field. He had this to say after a Browns practice earlier this offseason, via Pat McManamon of ESPN.com:
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"“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Garrett said Tuesday before the Browns practiced. “I got to prove myself. I haven’t shown any kind of resume or what I can do on the NFL level, so they have to see. Go from level to level, from spot to spot and show that I can be successful.”"
The fact Garrett hasn’t proven anything is the one thing that does make his selection a tad surprising. However, his isn’t as surprising as some of the other entries on Cleveland.com’s reader poll, which is as follows:
- Myles Garrett
- Jamie Collins
- Corey Coleman
- Right Tackle
- Jabrill Peppers
- Isaiah Crowell
- Joe Haden
- David Njoku
- Duke Johnson
- Emmanuel Ogbah
Interestingly, Thomas didn’t even make the list, which excluded the quarterback position. Yet, an unnamed starting right tackle did.
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Perhaps fans believe that Thomas is so good he doesn’t need mentioning. Or perhaps they just don’t see him as important. After all, for as dominant as he’s been, the Browns haven’t had a winning season since Thomas’ rookie year.