Myles Garrett's former Browns teammate calls him 'best pass rusher I've ever seen' as he nears sack record

Cleveland Browns

Myles Garrett's former Browns teammate calls him 'best pass rusher I've ever seen' as he nears sack record

Garrett needs 1.5 sacks in three games.

Ryan Morik Fox News

Published

December 18, 2025 10:01am EST

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Browns legend Joe Thomas offers high praise to Myles Garrett

Cleveland Browns legend Joe Thomas called his former teammate, Myles Garrett, the "best defensive pass rusher I've ever seen" in an interview with Fox News Digital.

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Myles Garrett is on pace to shatter a record that has stood for more than two decades.

The Cleveland Browns star has three more games to surpass Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt's single-season record of 22.5 sacks — he needs just one more to tie.

Garrett has been a first-team All-Pro in four of the last five seasons, but this season is by far the best of his eventual Hall of Fame career.

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Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) riles up the crowd against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)

Joe Thomas went against Myles Garrett in practice for just one season — Thomas’ last year in the NFL was the same year Garrett went first overall out of Texas A&M. He may be biased, but he got a personal look at Garrett and gave him high praise.

"He's the best defensive pass rusher I've ever seen in my entire life," Thomas said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "And that goes back to watching Reggie White when I was a kid when he was with the Green Bay Packers winning a Super Bowl."

Garrett has been a lone bright spot for the Browns throughout his entire tenure there, but that holds especially true this season, as Cleveland is 3-11. Their record, though, makes Garrett’s season even that much more special, Thomas said.

Myles Garrett stands tall against the 49ers

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

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"Sacks are usually happening when the quarterback has to hold on to the ball because they're trying to push the ball down the field. They're trying to squeeze the lemon a little bit more because they need it. They're losing, right? So they're willing to take more chances. They're willing to let their players go one on one up front in the blocking to be able to get more receivers down the field. When you're winning, you don't take those chances on offense," Thomas explained. "And so the fact that Myles is getting all these sacks on a team that's behind, by and large, just adds to the fact that this guy and what we're witnessing is one of the greatest performances in sports history."

Garrett requested a trade from the Browns during the offseason, citing his desire to win. However, a record-breaking, $160 million contract quickly changed his mind, and to Garrett’s credit, he is living up to every penny.

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The soon-to-be 30-year-old will have his first chance at breaking the record this Sunday at home against the Buffalo Bills.

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Myles Garrett's former Browns teammate calls him 'best pass rusher I've ever seen' as he nears sack record