Myles Garrett had surgery on his feet as a child to correct his lack of arches. The pain he’s been experiencing there lately has been bothersome.

Garrett has spoken about having another surgery. Though in a September interview which had everyone on their toes, he stated that he hopes to wait until after the season. But what exactly would the point of that be?

It sets a positive example as a leader that he’s willing to put the team first and his offseason second by playing through what’s ailing him to be available for the club. But it no longer really seems pragmatic to keep toeing the company line.

The Browns have had one foot in and one foot out as an organization all season. And it doesn’t seem coherent for anyone to assert that they’ve been doing everything they can to win in 2024.

Deshaun Watson had been playing some of the worst football seen this century. He’s been on lists where his performance has been comparable to Akili Smith and JaMarcus Russell. He’s seemingly had one foot in the grave ever since he got to Cleveland. And never had his role as the starter been in question according to team officials, who dig their heels in further every time it’s asked about.

Browns’ brass evidently had no particular plan for either tackle position to start the season despite multiple opportunities to address either or both. They stepped in it barefoot there too.

They learned absolutely nothing from the Jakeem Grant fiasco from last year: rolling into a fresh campaign again with no plan other than someone who used to be good as a returner but is coming off a season without playing at all after a devastating soft tissue injury — another example of the guy in the corner office shooting himself in the foot.

Then they held Watson out of the final preseason game so he could begin regular season football with zero exhibition reps. Then Amari Cooper was traded. Then Dorian Thompson-Robinson was named the backup ahead of a healthy Jameis Winston. It’s been an endless sale of letdowns and disappointment. And it’s the fans who foot the bill. Which of these maneuverings appear to be those of a franchise trying to win games?

The last time Winston played a meaningful stretch of football he went 5-2 starting for the New Orleans Saints. When a team has a developmental prospect installed ahead of a proven commodity as the backup, they’ve already punted. It means they want to find out if a guy can get his foot in the door, when given the opportunity to get his feet wet, while already having a toe in next year’s draft pool.

Now Deshaun Watson is injured and out for a year, as is the typical expectation with a ruptured Achilles. The quarterback play without Watson will not be worse. But those in charge have done next to nothing to make anyone think they want it to be better, and they’ve stubbed their toe every time it looks like they’re trying.

Nick Chubb just came back for week seven and Browns fans have been hopeful that his return would provide a boost to an offense that started off on the wrong foot and never corrected course. It makes sense for Chubb to play his way back into being himself; hopefully he’ll be the perennial Pro Bowler we’re used to seeing as a fanbase by next season, though his contract situation as of now has him footloose after 2024.

In Garrett’s case it makes absolutely no sense to play through a circumstance that likely will result in surgery and could potentially make things worse if postponed. And for an organization that’s been sissyfooting around all season and isn’t trying half as hard?

Forget that. Jump in with both feet. Get a head start. Get it handled. Get set to be ready to go next year.

Maybe Browns’ decision-makers will be ready to put their best feet forward by then. And if Garrett has the surgery now, maybe he can have his best feet ready for 2025 too.

—@PoisonPill4