PFF Ranks Two Browns Players Among Top Edge Rushers In NFL

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett topped the list after wining his first Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Jan 13, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) reacts in a 2024 AFC wild card game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett earned the top spot in Pro Football Focus' ranking of the NFL's top 32 edge rushers going into 2024.

That's not a surprise considering Garrett is fresh off of winning his first ever Defensive Player of the Year Award. The No. 1 overall pick in 2017 compiled 42 combined tackles last season, including 14 sacks and 17 for a loss. He also had 30 QB hits.

Garrett actually has the analytics based site to thank for helping him earn the honor, as they're "pass rush win rate" metric provided gave some important context to Garrett's award-winning campaign.

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As PFF's Trevor Sikkema wrote about Garrett:

"The reigning Defensive Player of the Year earned a league-best 94.7 pass-rush grade, and his 27.3% pass-rush win rate was one of the highest marks in PFF history."

The Browns wasn't alone on PFF's list of top edge rushers though. The man who lined up opposite of Garrett for most of the season, nine-year veteran Za'Darius Smith made an appearance as well, coming in as the 17th ranked pass rusher.

Sikkema's explanation:

"You can’t just use the Myles Garrett effect as a way to brush off Smith’s 85.3 overall grade and 86.6 pass-rush grade in 2023, as he had nearly identical numbers the previous season in Minnesota, as well. The 31-year-old has posted back-to-back seasons with a pass-rush win rate above 18.0% after going through back surgery in 2021 missing all but one game that season."

Smith actually had a down year for his standards statistically in 2023, amassing just 5.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. Regardless, Smith was an impactful compliment to Garrett and did record 20 QB hits. His efforts were enough that Cleveland saw the value in bringing him back on a new two-year deal worth $23.5 million.

The duo of Garret and Smith made up one of nine teams that had multiple edge rushers make the list. Other teams with two players included the Cowboys, Steelers, Texans, Lions, Vikings, Chargers, Giants and Eagles.

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