The Los Angeles Rams are not satisfied with being the second-best team in the NFC. They lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game last year, and that’s upsetting to their franchise.
On Monday, rumors swirled that three teams were on the cusp on working out a trade with the Cleveland Browns for two-time “NFL Defensive Player of the Year,” Myles Garrett.
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RELATED: GARRETT TRADED TO RAMS
Early in the morning, the gossip was that the Dallas Cowboys had made a good pitch to bring in Garrett. Next up, the Philadelphia Eagles were linked, and finally the Rams.
The chatter about such a move ebbed and flowed as the calendar approached June 1. Cleveland had made several tweaks to Garrett’s contract back in March, potentially to add flexibility around the salary cap. Or, made his large deal easier to work out a trade.
The June 1 date was critical. It seems that Cleveland could split the approximately $41 million in dead money they’d incur from a Garrett trade, and they would be able to accomplish this over a two-year span instead of all at once. After Monday, the Browns would be responsible for $25.56 million of dead money in 2027 and would continue with $15.53 million of dead money on their 2026 salary cap.
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Despite stating all offseason that Cleveland wanted to retain Garrett, Browns GM Andrew Berry listened to the three proposals and decided he wanted some cap relief.
And all of a sudden, the face of the Cleveland Browns was now in Los Angeles.
What does that do to the NFC West Division?
The Rams ended up sending a really good player to the Browns in the deal. EDGE rusher Jared Verse was included in the deal and is six years younger than Garrett. Verse is a former first-round draft pick and has been to the Pro Bowl both years he has been in the league. He is also the 2024 “NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year” and a two-time All-American.
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However, he’s not Myles Garrett. The Rams play a 3-4 defense, whereas Garrett has always played in the 4-3 formation. Not that this will become a stumbling block. With Cleveland, Garrett lined up almost everywhere and on every down. What position did he play? Over there.
What the trade does is blow the roof off of the Rams’ pass rush.
Last year, Garrett broke the single-season sack record with 23. Ranked #10 was Byron Young, who had 12 sacks. DE Kobie Turner ranked #42 with seven. That equals 42 sacks with just three players.
A lot of folks think that Garrett is a one-trick pony, being a dominant pass rusher. But the truth is, he is a very good run defender as well. While he was seeking out quarterbacks, he had a career high in total tackles with 60. His 33 tackles for loss led the league with only two missed tackles. 53 pressures and 39 QB hits are features of his defensive abilities.
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The trade itself is the Rams’ attempt to get better defensively in order to meet the Seahawks, who always have a great defense. LA had the league’s #1 offense last year, but was ranked middle of the pack in defense. Now they possess an absolute bellcow at pass rush. The Rams also feature LB Nate Landman, who finished #14 in total tackles with 132.
Garrett probably has 3-4 productive years left in him. And he is motivated to win a Super Bowl ring, so his effort on gameday will be through the roof during each contest.
The Cardinals hired the Rams’ OC, Mike LaFleur, as their head coach, and are installing a similar offensive scheme in order to be competitive in the division.
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But this is different. Having a new stud at running back will be cake and ice cream to Garrett. His favorite position is to play left defensive end, where Arizona has just replaced its right tackle with Elijah Wilkinson. That is not a good match whatsoever.
This move by the Rams is not to separate themselves from the Cardinals, but to get a leg up on Seattle, and to a lesser degree, the San Francisco 49ers.
One thing Cleveland did accomplish: Never trade within the conference.
