Report: NFL “hopeful” that Myles Garrett can return in 2020

The Cleveland Browns began life on Sunday without defensive end Myles Garrett, a reality that will carry through the rest of the regular season.

The question surrounding Garrett’s “indefinite” suspension for hitting Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with his own helmet is just how long “indefinite” really is.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that the NFL office is “hopeful” and “optimistic” that the Garrett should be back on the field when the Browns open the 2020 season.

Citing an unnamed source, Schefter laid out the path that Garrett must travel in the coming months:

The NFL has mandated that Garrett must meet with the commissioner’s office during the offseason, and the NFL is doing that because it wants to see how he reacts to the lengthy suspension after the brawl that he was a part of earlier this month against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The NFL will be open-minded and listen to Garrett during the offseason meeting, and if his behavior is what the league hopes it will be and his answers are accurate, there’s a strong chance he will not miss any playing time in 2020, according to sources.

Garrett’s return should never have been in question, but the league decided it needed to over-punish him for his actions against the Steelers.

Hopefully the league office truly is “open-minded” about the process and realizes that they have punished Garrett and the Browns more than enough.