CLEVELAND — Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett was kept out of practice Friday due to lower body soreness.
Garrett is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at Arizona, but if you ask him, he’ll say he will play.
“Fully expecting to go,” Garrett told reporters Friday. “It has been bothering me since last week. Had some pains then and even the week before. Nobody is 100% across the league. Just have to make sure I am as close to that as possible and make sure I can be a positive force when I am out there.”
Garrett’s participation in practice on Thursday was limited.
The pain is something that has bothered Garrett for several weeks.
“When the adrenaline gets flowing, it starts to go away, but at the beginning before the game, that is when I am really trying to work on it as much as I can to make sure that it does not hold me back,” Garrett said. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was a bit more cautious on declaring Garrett a full go for Sunday.
“We will see how it goes in the next 48 hours,” Stefanski said.
Despite the soreness, Garrett is on track for his best season in the NFL. He has 19 tackles and six sacks in the first four games of the season.
Meanwhile, quarterback Baker Mayfield continues to battle an injury with his non-throwing shoulder. He is expected to play Sunday, but there are questions on whether the injury has affected his effectiveness.
Mayfield had arguably one of his worst performances of his career against the Vikings on Sunday, completing less than 50% of his passes. It was just the sixth time he failed to complete 50% of his passes.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt did not think the injury played a factor.
“You do not roll out of bed and have a great day every day,” Van Pelt said. “I have seen some great quarterbacks have a rough day. That is part of the deal in this business. I expect him to bounce back this week. Excited to see him work today and tomorrow in practice, but I have not seen the effects of it in practice so it should not carry over to the games.”
