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Myles Garrett reportedly avoids surgery after injuring foot while climbing walls at Pro Bowl

LANDOVER, MD - JANUARY 01: Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns looks on against the Washington Commanders during the first half of the game at FedExField on January 1, 2023 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Yes, Myles Garrett injured his foot while climbing walls at the Pro Bowl. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) (Scott Taetsch via Getty Images)

A revamped set of Pro Bowl games intended to keep players safe fell short of its goal Sunday.

Myles Garrett suffered a dislocated toe while climbing walls during an obstacle course relay. The Cleveland Browns confirmed the injury Sunday. Fortunately for Cleveland's four-time Pro Bowler, he avoided the worst-case scenario.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday that the toe was popped back into place and that Garrett won't need surgery. He's expected to require a short recovery time.

Garrett sustained the injury while participating in a relay event called the gridiron gauntlet. Players competed by breaking through walls, climbing over walls, running through tires and pushing sleds. Garrett was tasked with the AFC's wall-climb leg, which also entailed crawling under tables.

Garrett appeared to injure his toe while landing after a wall climb. After the event, he walked with a pronounced limp and had to sit down on the turf before leaving the field.

Fortunately, it's not as serious as it initially looked.

The NFL did a smart thing by removing football collisions from its All-Star weekend equation. But it's tough to completely eliminate injury risk when running and jumping are involved. Here's guessing the NFL will take a closer look at the wall-climb competition for next season.