Myles Garrett has not been quite the same player since returning from his bout with COVID-19.
The 2017 No. 1 overall draft pick was placed by the Browns on the COVID list on Nov. 20. He missed Weeks 11 and 12 but returned for Week 13.
Garrett had a sack in his first game back and was credited with half a sack in Sunday night’s win over the New York Giants. Though he has still been effective, Garrett hasn’t been playing at as high of a level as he was prior to his bout with COVID.
Browns reporter Jake Trotter showed that Garrett was winning on 27.6 percent of his pass rushes before dealing with COVID and he has been winning on 22.4 percent of his pass rushes since returning.
Myles Garrett pass rush win rate before COVID list: 27.6% (2nd in NFL)
Since COVID list: 22.4% (14th)
* Not including tonight #Browns— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) December 21, 2020
During Cleveland’s game on Sunday night, NBC’s announcers talked about the difficulties Garrett had with the virus. He has dealt with many symptoms and still isn’t 100 percent. Garrett even had a coughing fit in the locker room.
Myles Garrett said he had a "coughing fit" in the locker room earlier, as he battles since coming off the reserve/COVID-19 list #browns
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) December 21, 2020
COVID-19 affects people differently. Some have very few symptoms and feel fine, some have it bad like Garrett did, and in the worst cases, COVID can be fatal. This is a reality that should be taken into account when players return from the virus.
