Well, just when it felt like the NFL dead period was really NFL dead period-ing, the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams gave us a shot of wasabi to snort like Steve-O in Jackass: The Movie.
The Rams and Browns came together in a blockbuster deal that sent NFL single-season sack king Myles Garrett to Los Angeles in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, a 2029 third-round pick, and star edge rusher Jared Verse. And while Verse is almost certainly contemplating life itself and re-thinking every decision he’s ever made that led to this moment, Garrett is staring at a chance to cement himself as the greatest pass rusher in NFL history.
Yes, despite already being 30 years old, Garrett’s best days are still ahead of him because of the situation he is now in – away from Cleveland and with an offense that will ensure he has ample opportunities to rush the quarterback.
More pass rush opportunities
If there is one thing you can count on it’s that the Los Angeles Rams will put up points. The Rams led the league in points and total offense in 2025. Comparatively, the Browns were 30th in total offensive yards and 31st in scoring.
To break it down on a play-by-play basis, the Rams ran 2,157 plays in 2025 and led for 1,477 of them – about 68 percent of their plays were with a lead. The Browns, on the other hand, only had a lead on 757 of their 2,045 snaps, which put them at a mere 37 percent.
To build upon this, the fourth quarter numbers tell an even deeper story. The Rams and Browns both played exactly 708 snaps in the fourth quarter, per Sumer Sports. The Rams led on 517 of their snaps – the Browns led on 217. 73 percent to 30 percent. And when you look at just defensive snaps played in the fourth quarter with a lead, Cleveland had just 123 such snaps.
Garrett is getting nearly an entire quarter more of pass rushing opportunities that he didn’t have before when teams would largely run the ball late in the game to kill the remainder of the clock. Deploying Myles Garrett in the game’s most crucial moments is like trotting Marino Rivera onto the mount in the ninth inning. And seeing Myles Garrett on the opposite side while you’re trying to put together quality late-game drives must be like hearing John Carpenter’s Halloween theme and waiting to see Michael Myers take out another victim.
Talent around Myles Garrett
We saw what Garrett could do when the Browns added Mason Graham to take some attention on the interior. Graham had 36 pressures in 2025, per PFF, and his presence alone was a massive factor in Garrett setting the single-season sack record – so imagine what the reigning Defensive Player of the Year can do with multiple other high-end players around him.
Kobie Turner ranked fifth in the league amongst defensive linemen (min. 75 snaps) in pressures with 55. Braden Fiske was also in the top 20 with 42 and Poona Ford added 30. On the opposite edge, Byron Young had 64 pressures and 12.5 sacks, both of which ranked top 10 in the league among edge rushers.
Not only is Garrett still at the peak of his powers, he now has a Justice League’s worth of talent around him at levels in which he’s never come close to having. This group is the best of its kind in the NFL on paper. Should it come close to reaching its stratospheric potential, there won’t be many offensive lines that can keep them in check for 60 minutes.
Oh, and they also added All-Pro Trent McDuffie at cornerback.
Garrett’s aged gracefully on some horrid football teams throughout his nine-year career. Now surrounded by the league’s top offense and and an already-good defense that finished seventh in the league in EPA last season, it’s very likely we have yet to see the best of Myles Garrett – and that is a horrifying thought.
