Saturday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns was mostly reserved for guys who are in position battles and looking to make the roster.
Practice in the days leading up to the game is where some of the elites at their position battled it out. The Eagles’ offensive lineman, Jordan Mailata, spent plenty of time battling against one of the NFL‘s top edge rushers in Myles Garrett. Speaking with reporters, Mailata didn’t hold back on the level of difficulty Garrett brought to the table.
“It was kind of just like this: Lose-win-lose-lose-lose-win-lose-lose-lose-win,” Mailata told reporters, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. “That’s just how it felt like. And I just kept on saying, ‘Keep it pushing for the next play, and keep trying to just do your job and then we’ll fix it up later.’”
Mailata was admittedly stunned by what Garrett was bringing to the table throughout the week. As the former Rugby star has developed into one of the top blockers in the game, he doesn’t often face as many questions for himself, but the All-Pro pass rusher gave Mailata a run for his money.
“How is he still below my knees and he’s bending the corner? He starts the rush in a four-point stance and by the time he’s four yards up the field he’s still at that same height, and it’s kind of like, ‘What am I supposed to do there? Just jump on him?’ Not that that’s even possible. He’ll just carry me to the QB.’” Mailata continued.
As difficult as the challenge was, Mailata certainly sees the benefit in going against a guy like Garrett early on in the preseason.
“Any time you get an opportunity to go up against the best, and he truly is the best at that position, you’ve got to take advantage of the opportunities,” the Eagle added. “Especially for a training rep. So I think it’s gotten me better. I have a lot of film to go off now and watch and see how I can refine and sharpen and learn from yesterday and today. … There’s no one like Myles. So you can’t apply what Miles does to anyone else. Cause he’s just a freak. He’s a freak.”
Since entering the NFL out of Texas A&M in 2017 as the No. 1 overall pick, Garrett has lived up to the hype. In 117 games, he’s got over 350 tackles, 102.5 sacks, 20 forced fumbles, and six fumble recoveries. Garrett was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and has made All-Pro six times.
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