Former Texas A&M star Myles Garrett named NFL Defensive POTY

A Tyrannosaurus-sized honor for Aggieland’s favorite dinosaur lover.

For the first time in an already impressive career, former Texas A&M All-American and current Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett was named the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Garrett received the award on Thursday night at the NFL Honors in Las Vegas.

The Aggie and Arlington Martin product beat out finalists Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt, Dallas’ Micah Parson and DeRon Bland as well as Oakland’s Maxx Crosby to win the hardware.

This season – Garrett’s seventh in the NFL – was among his best.

In just 16 games, Garrett recorded 14.0 sacks, 17 TFLs, 30 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles and 42 total tackles for Cleveland.

The 2017 first-overall pick played a huge role in the Browns’ defense being among the NFL’s best. With an average of 270.2 yards allowed per game, Cleveland ranked as the league’s No. 1 defensive unit.

For his individual efforts this fall, Garrett was named to his FIFTH Pro Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro selection for the THIRD time.

Despite wreaking havoc all year, Garrett’s Week 7 performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. In Cleveland’s 39-38 victory over Indianapolis, he recorded nine tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and blocked a field goal.

With the quarterback position plagued by injuries, the Browns rode their defense to an 11-6 record as they finished second in the AFC North behind Baltimore. Ultimately, Cleveland fell to Houston and rookie phenom C.J. Stroud in the wild card round, 45-15.

That Garrett has turned into such a productive pro is no surprise to those who watched him in Maroon & White.

During a three-year career at A&M, Garrett recorded 32.5 sacks for 197 yards in losses to go along with 48.5 TFLs for 252 yards in losses. As an Aggie, he had 84 career total tackles, one interception, seven forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

As a freshman in 2014, Garrett earned second-team All-SEC honors. In 2015 and 2016, he was a first-team all-conference selection. As a sophomore, he was named a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Football Writers Association of America.

As a junior, Garrett left no doubt and was a Unanimous Consensus All-American.

His skills have more than translated to the next level.

Through seven seasons as a professional, Garrett has amassed an incredible 88.5 sacks, 94 TFLs, 172 QB hits, 17 forced fumbles and 305 total tackles. He also has a scoop-and-score to his credit.

Quarterbacks fear him, and every other defensive end wants to be him.

Simply put: Garrett is HIM.