The Pittsburgh Steelers just wrapped up their final day of mandatory minicamp. While it's hard to gain any notable insight regarding performances or positional battles, we can be thankful that everyone made it through OTAs and minicamp without getting injured.
The same can't be said about the Cleveland Browns.
During their final minicamp practice, Myles Garrett pulled up lame, grabbing his left hamstring area, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Fred Greetham of The Orange and Brown Rpt posted a video of Garrett gingerly walking off the field and talking to a trainer. Greetham claims that Garrett was holding his left leg.
#Browns Myles Garrett walking off and talking to trainers now after leaving a drill and holding his leg pic.twitter.com/vrY0nAd8rD
— Fred Greetham (@FredGreetham9) June 13, 2024
Garrett is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year award winner -- an honor Steeler fans believed should have gone to T.J. Watt. Suddenly, it's Watt who looks to have a leg up on the competition (pun intended) in the DPOY race in 2024.
In all seriousness, we never hope for players to get injured. The fact that Garrett was able to walk off under his own power is a great sign. Though we don't yet know the severity of the injury, early reports suggest that it's a hamstring ailment.
T.J. Watt is an early frontrunner for DPOY honors in 2024
Garrett was one of the best players in the NFL last season -- regardless of position. Prior to sustaining this injury on the final day of mandatory minicamp, T.J. Watt already possessed better odds to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors for the upcoming season.
Watt tied with Cowboys star Micah Parsons for the top odds (+550) to win the DPOY award in 2024. Meanwhile, Garrett sits at 5th with +750 odds -- behind Nick Bosa and Maxx Crosby (both +700), courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
The good news for Browns fans is that this injury happened at perhaps the best time possible. Players won't have to take the practice field again until late July when training camp starts up. This should give Garrett plenty of time to rest and recover.
Steelers fans should be praying that Myles Garrett stays on the field in 2024; that way T.J. Watt can get his revenge and claim another Defensive Player of the Year trophy with no excuses from Browns fans. As always, it's going to be an interesting race for DPOY, and Watt is healthy and rearing to go.