CANTON — As John Randle bonded with Myles Garrett last fall, the Browns All-Pro defensive end reminded the Minnesota Vikings legend of three Pro Football Hall of Fame pass rushers.
Reggie White.
And especially Chris Doleman, Randle's late Vikings teammate.
"It was seeing Chris Doleman reincarnated," Randle told the Beacon Journal during a recent interview at the Hall of Fame.
Smith (1990 and '96) and White (1987 and '98) each won the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year award twice. Doleman (1992) claimed the United Press International version of the award, representing the NFC while iconic San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau took the AFC honor.
Randle said he "definitely" believes Garrett is worthy of being named the AP NFL DPOY this season.
Garrett is a finalist for the award along with Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland , Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby , Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons and Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt .
Three other members of the Browns are also finalists: Kevin Stefanski for Coach of the Year, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz for Assistant Coach of the Year and quarterback Joe Flacco for Comeback Player of the Year.
The winners will be announced Thursday night during the NFL Honors awards show.
Randle and Garrett spent time together on Nov. 4 while an NFL Network film crew captured their interactions at Browns headquarters in Berea. They talked shop on a practice field and watched each other's highlights in a studio. The episode debuted on NFL+ on Dec. 13, with a shorter version airing on NFL Network on Christmas Eve.
Randle has been closely monitoring developments involving Garrett ever since they met.
"When you talk about 2024 players, hey, Myles Garrett's that guy," Randle said.
Garrett publicly stated his goal to become the NFL Defensive Player of the Year even before the Browns drafted him first overall in 2017 out of Texas A&M University. He was voted the Professional Football Writers of America NFL DPOY last month. However, he is still awaiting his first selection as the AP NFL DPOY, which the league recognizes as the official award.
It's important to note a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL completed voting for AP awards before the playoffs began. Whoever wins DPOY will be honored for his performance in the regular season, not the postseason.
During the 2023 regular season, Garrett compiled 42 tackles, with 17 for loss and 14 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, three passes defensed and 30 quarterback hits in 16 games. With Cleveland's playoff seeding secured, he rested in Week 18 along with other key Browns players.
Garrett joined Randle on a prestigious list in November. They are among seven players in NFL history who tallied at least 10 sacks in six consecutive seasons. The others are Smith, White, Lawrence Taylor, DeMarcus Ware and Jared Allen .
And, yes, it's a special teams play , not a defensive snap, but don't forget about Garrett hurdling the Indianapolis Colts to block a 60-yard field goal on Oct. 22. The feat blew Randle's mind.
"Dude, I'm looking at him going, 'We didn't think about this type of stuff [when I played].' And for him, it's just where the game's at," Randle said.
Despite some remarkable moments and an 11-6 record in the regular season, the Browns flopped in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Among the many disappointing aspects of their 45-14 loss at the Houston Texans is Garrett — and the entire Cleveland defense — did not sack rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud .
Randle is well aware of the criticism Garrett receives whenever he doesn't register a sack.
From Weeks 12-16, Garrett endured a five-game streak without a sack, though the stretch should include an asterisk. He sacked Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence during a crucial two-point attempt in Week 14, but the NFL doesn't track statistics from such plays.
Randle's advice to Garrett is centered on uplifting teammates.
"It's not always going to be about you," Randle said. "It's going to be about your supporting cast because that's going to help you get there. It's almost like a Batman or Robin. I was telling him about the Minnesota Vikings when it was Chris Doleman and myself. I was talking about Bruce Smith having Cornelius Bennett, old Biscuit, and Darryl Talley.
"I go, 'You've got to have somebody that you can bring along. When you're working on your craft, don't work at it alone. Bring somebody else with you. Bring the other guys to teach those guys because your supporting cast makes you better.'"
Since December, Browns brass and players have campaigned for Garrett to become DPOY . The company line is he's the best player on the league's best defense . The reference stems from Cleveland ending the regular season atop the NFL in several defensive categories, including fewest yards allowed per game (270.2).
"We take pride in the work that Myles has put in and really the person that he is within the walls of the building," Browns General Manager Andrew Berry said last month during the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards . "And to see that external acknowledgment, it's just something that we really want for him just because we see how much blood, sweat and tears he puts into it on a daily basis."
Members of the football analytics community have presented cases for Garrett, too.
For example, ProFootballFocus.com named Garrett its top player regardless of position, DPOY and best pass rusher. PFF credited him with a 27.5% pass-rush win rate, first in the league during the regular season by 3.4 percentage points and the best single-season figure the website has ever recorded. PFF also assigned Garrett its top overall defensive and pass-rush grades this season.
Meanwhile, ESPN Analytics gave Garrett a pass-rush win rate of 30%, second to only Parsons' 35%.
The 2021 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Watt led the league with 19 sacks and 36 quarterback hits in the 2023 regular season. PFF gave him a pass-rush win rate of 16.9% and ESPN Analytics 25%.
Garrett and Watt tied for seventh in the league with 86 pressures apiece, according to PFF's count.
Before PFF and similar websites existed, Randle played defensive tackle and end in the NFL from 1990-2003, 11 seasons with the Vikings and three with the Seattle Seahawks . He earned seven Pro Bowl and six first-team All-Pro selections. He never won defensive player of the year, but he finished runner-up to White in voting for the 1998 AP award. In 2010, Randle was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
A native of Arlington, Texas, Garrett grew up hearing stories from his father, Lawrence, about Randle. The elder Garrett would tell his son, "John Randle was a bad boy," whenever the family would drive through Hearne, Texas, where Randle played high school football.
"I always had a lot of respect for how he played the game, how much it looked like he enjoyed the game," Garrett said during the NFL-produced TV segment. "He loved being around his teammates, and that's something that I aspire to do every time I walk in the building."
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Garrett, 28, looped his dad into his conversation with Randle by calling him during NFL Network's filming. Randle said he hopes to hang out with Lawrence Garrett this spring during a golf tournament in Texas.
"Being around Myles, what a young, wonderful man that's so humble and just has his head on straight," Randle said. "He has so much respect for his father, and unfortunately I didn't have my father, but I still had people in my life who were like my father — my uncle, my brother — who mentored me.
"To see that, I realized that, man, we're just so fortunate to be around [Garrett], and I just can't wait to see so many things that will come his way because he's just such a humble guy and just a man who cares about the game, loves the game, but, at the same time, cares about his team, cares about his family."
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On and off camera, Garrett picked Randle's brain about techniques.
"We were talking about pass rush," Randle said. "We were talking about elbows and hands.
"A lot of times when you're talking pass rush, a lot of guys don't understand all this, and he was all with it — open to everything."
The pursuit of excellence never ends for someone who's truly determined to be defensive player of the year.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Myles Garrett Defensive Player of Year in John Randle's eyes
