BROWNS NO. 1 PICK GARRETT HEALTHY AS CAMP OPENS TODAY
The last time we BEREA — saw Myles Garrett around these parts, he was crumpled to the ground with a left foot injury in minicamp and then standing at the airport in a walking boot.
Exams revealed a lateral foot sprain — fortunately not the dreaded Lisfranc — and the Browns announced he’d be ready for training camp. Still, it was a disconcerting way for the No. 1 overall pick to end the offseason and head home for the summer break.
But a little less than three weeks later, Garrett flipped the script by posting a video of himself on Twitter leg-pressing more than 1,000 pounds — along with a workout buddy.
On Wednesday, in a news conference to kick off the start of training camp today, second-year coach Hue Jackson had more good news: Garrett is ready to go for the start of camp. The Browns have had to be cautious because he sustained a high left ankle sprain last year at Texas A&M and was bothered by it all season.
“If he was strong enough to leg-press that friend ...” Jackson said with a smile. “Myles is ready to go. We will definitely monitor him, but I think he’s totally healthy. Maybe hasn’t done all the conditioning you like to see right before training camp. But I think he’s up to speed and ready to go. And he’s looking forward to it.”
Cornerback Joe Haden, for one, was relieved Garrett’s foot wasn’t more serious.
“I was super-excited he was OK,” said Haden. “When he went down, it was just ... injuries happen, but sometimes it seems like it happens to us even more. But I was just hoping that he would be able to be good to go.
“I actually watch Myles a lot just to see what he’s got. He didn’t practice too much in OTAs, but the way that he can move, the way that he can bend, how big and strong he is, I can tell that’s something I haven’t seen too much of and I think that he can be a really, really good force on the team, so I’m just super-excited for him.
“I just hope our team is able to go into this season healthy and ready to go because I know we have a lot of players that are just ready to get after it and ready to change what happened last year. Me, for one.”
The Browns will also monitor receiver Corey Coleman, who injured his hamstring in organized team activities and sat out minicamp.
“You have to be out there practicing to improve, so I think we’ve come up with a really good plan, not for just Corey, but for several of our guys as we move forward to give them the best opportunity to compete and be a huge part of practice and what we’re doing,” Jackson said.
Other players coming off injuries include left guard Joel Bitonio and backup right guard John Greco, who both underwent Lisfranc foot surgeries — Bitonio in October and Greco in December.
But Jackson, who watched his top two quarterbacks go down in the first two weeks last season, is happy with the medical report heading into camp.
“We’re very healthy,” he said.