Word surfaced on Friday that the Cleveland Browns hosted pass rusher David Bailey for a pre-draft visit to their facility in Berea. What is typically a harmless and newsworthy event should concern Browns fans everywhere.
This is a very clear move that shows that Cleveland is beginning to put plans in place for life after Myles Garrett.
Things between the Browns and Garrett have been shaky for the past 24 months. We are just one offseason removed from Garrett going up and down Radio Row at the Super Bowl, bashing the Cleveland franchise while requesting a trade. Albeit a totally fair and justified move, that was what he did just one season ago.
Cleveland answered those complaints by giving Garrett one of the largest contracts in NFL history to try to convince Garrett that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Then, Cleveland rolled out Joe Flacco to start week one last year, that transitioned to Dillon Gabriel, which ultimately transitioned to Shedeur Sanders to close the season. The Browns put up just five wins in a season where Garrett reset the sack record and had a game with five individual sacks in it. In that game, Cleveland lost to the Patriots by 30 points.
Fast forward to today, where Cleveland has begun their offseason workouts, and the entire team is in Berea, their superstar is nowhere to be found. Beyond that, he has yet to have a face-to-face conversation with his new head coach, Todd Monken, after he actively campaigned for Jim Schwartz to be named the head coach.
Then, in the dark of the night, Cleveland restructured Garrett’s contract and “unintentionally” made it more tradeable. At the same time, they secretly hosted one of the top-three pass rushers, David Bailey, for a top-30 visit.
Could the Browns be preparing for life after Garrett?
Either this is all one heck of a coincidence, or Browns fans should be preparing for life after Garrett. The part that is frustrating is that Garrett truly did pour everything he could have into winning in Cleveland; they just could not turn it around while he was there.
The flip side of that coin is that Cleveland had the best pass rusher in the NFL for the last eight seasons, and it didn’t translate to victories. This further underscores the truth of the NFL, which is that if you don’t have a quarterback, you won’t win. Simple as that.
Cleveland is in a position where having the best pass rusher in the league doesn’t move the needle because they are still a quarterback away.
It’s time to begin thinking about life without Myles Garrett, and unfortunately, that day is going to be here sooner rather than later.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns preparing for life after Myles Garrett in 2026 NFL Draft?
Reporting by Anthony Moeglin, Browns Wire / Browns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
