Myles Garrett has won Defensive Player of the Year twice, first in 2023 and again after his record-breaking 2025 campaign, where he tallied an NFL-best 23 sacks in one season. While Garrett himself should take the majority of the credit for his spectacular career with the Cleveland Browns, the superstar edge rusher wanted to give props to someone else who helped him succeed: Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
“I don’t think I get two DPOYs without Jim,” Garrett said on an episode of “The Edge with Micah Parsons” from February. “He helped mold my potential as a player and then helped put me in a scheme and a system that fit me well and enabled me to do what I do best. I pin my ears back, rush the passer, attack the front. There was no reading. It’s like, you see it, you attack it, you go get it. You see ball, get ball. And for us as edge rushers, that’s the easiest way for us to play. Once you start making us go lateral, that’s what the offense wants — they want to mess with our eyes, slow our feet down, take away one of our advantages.”
Schwartz’s scheme leaned on Garrett’s get-upfield instincts rather than asking him to read and react, a fit Garrett described as central to unlocking his ceiling. The results back that up: Garrett has posted at least 10 sacks in eight of his nine NFL seasons and has topped 14 sacks in every season since 2021, culminating in his 23-sack, record-setting 2025.
Now, Garrett will have a new defensive coordinator on his new team with the Los Angeles Rams. Coordinator Chris Shula has done well with his recent crop of edge rushers, from Jared Verse to Braden Fiske to Byron Young to defensive tackle Kobie Turner. But Garrett is a whole other type of player, and one who should see even more work in a new scheme.
And, if he breaks his sack record again and/or wins another Defensive Player of the Year, he’ll have another coach to thank in Shula.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Who Myles Garrett credits for his two DPOYs, besides himself
Reporting by Oliver G., Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Oliver G., Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
