Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns star edge-rusher Myles Garrett told reporters on Friday that head coach Kevin Stefanski's decision to keep him on the sidelines for the first series of Saturday's game against the New Orleans Saints stemmed from a "misunderstanding."

"I was sick and I didn't communicate well enough," he continued. "That's how it went down. Got to respect how [Stefanski] feels about the situation and his judgment."

Garrett, who missed multiple practices during the week due to an illness, added that being benched to start a game wasn't a great look on his part.

"It's just a bad look for a starter just in general," he told reporters. "So just don't put myself in that situation again."

Stefanski said the situation is in the past.

"He's done a nice job [this week]," he said. "Been good."

When he's been on the field, the 27-year-old Garrett has been superb, registering 45 tackles (15 for loss), 13.5 sacks, 22 quarterback hits, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles in 14 games. That earned him his fourth Pro Bowl selection.

It's been a bit of an odd year for both Garrett and the disappointing Browns (6-9), however. Garrett missed an early October game against the Atlanta Falcons after crashing and flipping his car on Sept. 26, though he managed to avoid serious injury.

The Browns, meanwhile, struggled to a 4-7 start under Jacoby Brissett while Deshaun Watson was suspended. Since Watson's return to the starting lineup, the team has gone 2-2, though Sunday's 17-10 loss against the Saints officially eliminated them from postseason contention.

"We're trying to figure it out all together and right now we don't really have the recipe to get wins consistently as we'd like," Garrett said. "But I think most of the pieces are here and we just have to tighten a couple of screws."

Rather than test free agency this offseason, Jack Conklin has agreed to a new contract with the Cleveland Browns.

Conklin's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN's Adam Schefter his client will receive a four-year, $60 million extension with $31 million fully guaranteed from the Browns.

Conklin began his career with the Tennessee Titans after being drafted No. 8 overall in 2016. The Michigan State alum made an instant impact as a rookie when he made 16 starts and earned a spot on the All-Pro First Team.

After injuries limited Conklin to nine games in 2018, the Titans declined to exercise the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. He played all 16 games in 2019 and was able to cash in as a free agent.

Conklin signed with the Browns in 2020. His contract was for three years, $42 million ($30 million guaranteed) and included two void years to spread out the cap hits.

Adding Conklin to the offensive line turned out to be an excellent move for Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry. He made the All-Pro First Team at right tackle in 2020.

An torn patellar tendon limited Conklin to seven games last season, but he's bounced back in 2022. The 28-year-old ranks fourth among offensive tackles in Pro Football Focus' pass-blocking efficiency metric entering Week 16.

The Browns held Conklin out for their first two games this season as he recovered from surgery to repair the patellar tendon. He has started all 12 games since making his season debut in Week 3.

The extension is fairly team-friendly for the Browns. The $60 million in total value and $31 million fully guaranteed ranks sixth among right tackles.

Cleveland is still alive in the AFC playoff race with a 6-8 record, but it needs to win each of its final three games and get a lot of help from other teams still vying for postseason positioning.

The Cleveland Browns will be without defensive end Jadeveon Clowney for the rest of their game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Clowney was ruled out with a concussion after being evaluated on the sideline. He suffered the injury in the first half of Saturday's contest.

The 29-year-old recorded one tackle against the Ravens prior to being removed from the game.

Clowney sustained a right ankle injury in Cleveland's 31-30 loss to the New York Jets that caused him to miss the team's next two games before returning in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, he was ruled out the following week against the New England Patriots after dealing with ankle, knee and elbow injuries.

The No. 1 pick in 2014, Clowney is one of the most respected pass-rushers in the NFL. Through 10 games entering Saturday, he has 22 combined tackles and two sacks. The nine-year veteran posted 37 total tackles, nine sacks and two forced fumbles in 14 games in 2021.

Clowney spent the first five seasons of his career with the Houston Texans before playing one season each for the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans. He signed a one-year deal with the Browns in 2021 and the team re-signed for the 2022 season on a one-year contract worth $10 million.

While paired alongside edge-rusher Myles Garrett, Clowney is a member of one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the NFL. Garrett is one of the favorites for NFL Defensive Player of the Year and has 39 combined tackles and 12 sacks through 12 games before Saturday.

During Clowney's absence, rookie defensive end Alex Wright will be thrust into a bigger role. The 2022 third-round pick racked up 11.5 sacks in three seasons at UAB. Veteran pass-rusher Isaac Rochell is also likely to see more time on the field. He has 9.5 career sacks in his six NFL seasons.

The NFL announced the eight finalists for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award on Thursday, and a trio of running backs lead the way.

Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packers, Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns and Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings were among the players nominated for the award:

The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award was introduced in 2014 and named after late Pittsburgh Steelers founding owner Art Rooney Sr. Per Packers reporter Wes Hodkiewicz, the award "recognizes players who best demonstrate the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents and integrity in competition."

The eight finalists were selected from 32 nominees by a panel of former players made up of Warrick Dunn, Curtis Martin, Leonard Wheeler and Larry Fitzgerald, who chose four finalists from each of the AFC and NFC.

The finalists will be included on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category when NFL players can begin voting later this month. Each team will submit a consensus vote for one of the finalists, and a team cannot vote for its own player.

Fitzgerald was the first honoree to receive the award. Last season's winner was New England Patriots special teamer Matthew Slater.

This year's selection will be announced as part of the NFL Honors show on Feb. 9 prior to Super Bowl LVII. The winner will get to make a $25,000 donation via the NFL Foundation to the charity of his choosing.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson returned to the field Sunday for the first time in 700 days, and while he didn't have the best performance, he helped lead the team to a 27-14 win over the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

While speaking with reporters after the game, Watson admitted that his return to the field against his former team was "tough" and that his move from Houston "had to happen."

Watson did not play at all during the 2021 season, when he was still a member of the Texans, after requesting a trade from Houston and facing more than 20 allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.

Twenty-four civil lawsuits with allegations of sexual assault and misconduct were filed against Watson. He agreed to settle 23 of those lawsuits and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

After being traded to the Browns, which gave him a record-shattering $230 million contract in March, the NFL launched an investigation into the claims against Watson and found he violated the league's personal conduct policy.

Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season, fined $5 million and had to undergo mandatory evaluation and treatment. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday that the quarterback has shown "signs of progress" in his treatment program.

A source told Schefter:

"He's been progressing well and he wants to continue with it, and they feel it's helping him. It's just sort of ongoing as needed, and it'll be ongoing until it's not needed anymore. And I think it's given him a lot of help and support. But this could take a while."

Watson was booed heavily in his return to Houston on Sunday, and he struggled in his first action in more than a season and a half. He completed just 12 of 22 passes for 131 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, in addition to rushing for 21 yards on seven carries.

When asked about being booed after the game, Watson replied: "They’re supposed to boo. I’m a Cleveland Brown now, and we’re on the road. So they’re supposed to boo."

Watson, a 2017 first-round pick, spent the first four seasons of his career in Houston. He went 28-25, completing 67.8 percent of his passes for 14,539 yards and 104 touchdowns against 36 interceptions, in addition to rushing for 1,677 yards and 17 touchdowns.

With Watson out to begin the 2022 campaign, the Browns opted to start Jacoby Brissett, who completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 2,608 yards and 12 touchdowns against six interceptions in 11 games. He also rushed for 238 yards and two scores.

With Watson back, he's expected to be Cleveland's starter for the remainder of the 2022 season and beyond.

The Browns are 5-7 and will be back in action on Dec. 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett aggravated his shoulder injury in Sunday's 23-17 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"I don't know. I hope not," Garrett said after the game regarding possible surgery. "Right now, I'm not getting surgery. I'm doing what I can as far as being in the training room, working with different doctors on my team to make sure that I'm able to play through this."

The 26-year-old pass-rusher is in the midst of his sixth NFL season, and he has been productive in 2022, recording 8.5 sacks, 27 tackles and two forced fumbles through his first nine games.

Garrett has already missed some time this season, as he was involved in a single-car accident leading up to the Browns' Week 4 game against the Atlanta Falcons. He suffered a sprained shoulder and strained biceps and was held out of the Atlanta game.

When healthy, Garrett has been a dominant force ever since the Browns made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

Entering the 2022 campaign, Garrett was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, plus he had registered double-digit sacks in four consecutive seasons from 2018 through 2021.

Last season was a career year for Garrett, as he set career highs essentially across the board with 16 sacks, 51 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 33 quarterback hits.

Garrett is one of a handful of game-changing defensive ends in the NFL, and there is no question that the Cleveland defense is exponentially easier to play against when he is out.

There is no other player on the defense who gets after the quarterback with as much consistency and ferocity as he does, and if he misses time, opposing offenses won't necessarily have to double-team anyone.