The Cleveland Browns placed star pass rusher Myles Garrett on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday, meaning that he will miss Sunday's matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. In a statement released by the Browns, they noted that they were informed of the positive test Friday morning. While contact tracing has been conducted, the Browns noted that Garrett has not been at the facility all week so there are zero high-risk contacts that have been identified. The facility will remain open and practice will remain on schedule.
Garrett had been away from the facility this week after Kevin Stefanski told reporters on Thursday that he had been dealing with an illness and the club decided to lean on the side of caution, which now seems like the right call with Garrett heading to the COVID list.
"As you can imagine, you have to be careful anytime somebody is dealing with an illness so he will not be out there," said Stefanski on Thursday while informing reporters that Garrett wouldn't practice. "You know how it is when guys are sick. It is not like the old days where you say, 'Alright, come on in later in the day.' You can't do that."
The 24-year-old's absence will be a major blow to Cleveland's front seven as Garrett is in the thick of the Defensive Player of the Year race. Through nine games played in 2020, he has a league-high 9.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hits, seven tackles for a loss, and four forced fumbles. Now, the Browns will have to try and shut down an Eagles offense led by quarterback Carson Wentz when they kick off at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
