Myles Garrett's absence from the Cleveland Browns' voluntary minicamp seems to have created a stir, with coach Todd Monken being peppered with questions about the reigning sack-champion skipping the non-required portion of workouts.
The first-year head coach said on Tuesday he's communicated with his star defender but not spoken to him personally.
"It hasn't been a lot. It's fine," Monken said, . "This is voluntary. We're making a big deal out of this. We really are. It's voluntary. We have other guys besides Myles that aren't here. I wish they were here. They'll be ready. We expect them to be ready. And we'll be fired up when they're here."
Others like Denzel Ward and Jerry Jeudy are also not in attendance. Monken made it clear he's communicated with each veteran at various stages.
"Yes, we were informed. And really, all of the players have informed us," he said. "They've been unbelievable with their communication. So is Myles. I mean, they've communicated, OK. Doesn't mean I like the communication, but it's voluntary. Like I wish they were all here, right? I mean, I've said that plenty of times. But every one of them is a Brown, and we're excited that they are."
The back-and-forth is interesting partially because at the start of the voluntary offseason program, much of the Browns reporter beat brushed off Garrett's absence as normal, given the star generally doesn't attend the early stages of non-mandatory work. Now it seems to be a question. The lack of direct contact beyond simple texts seems to suggest to some an underlying issue.
Rumors surrounding trading Garrett were jumpstarted by the Browns tweaking the pass rusher's contract, pushing the option bonus date to seven days before the regular season. The move would, in theory, make it easier for Cleveland to trade the pass rusher -- even as the Browns brass insists that wasn't why the move was made. The timing of it all seemed odd and was insufficiently explained, beyond general manager Andrew Berry simply speaking in executive-style platitudes about Garrett being a career Brown.
With the draft less than 40 hours away, if Cleveland was considering trading Garrett for a massive haul, now would make sense. The Browns' biggest star's absence and lack of direct contact with his coach will continue to keep the headlines churning through the summer, even if the draft passes with Garrett still in Cleveland.
