NFL Network: Browns trading Myles Garrett to Rams for Jared Verse, first-round pick in blockbuster deal
L.A. attacked the offseason, making big moves to revamp the secondary, trading a first-round pick to the Chiefs for McDuffie and adding Jaylen Watson in free agency.
Trading for Garrett trumps those moves, giving defensive coordinator Chris Shula the NFL’s top defensive weapon to deploy. Front to back, the Rams made massive moves to upgrade the unit exponentially in 2026.
The controversial move of selecting Ty Simpson in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft likely helped L.A. make this trade. With their QB succession plan for the 38-year-old Stafford theoretically handled, they could afford to send first-round picks to Cleveland, believing they won’t need to use that ammo for a signal-caller down the road.
The Browns vociferously insisted all offseason they weren’t planning on trading Garrett, the face of the franchise, after inking him to a four-year, $160 million extension last offseason. Yet, when the club modified his option bonus from March to seven days before the regular season, it opened up a greater possibility of the Browns moving on from the edge rusher.
Despite general manager Andrew Berry’s protestations that he wouldn’t trade Garrett, the fact that the star player had never met with new coach Todd Monken, stayed away from voluntary offseason workouts, and had his contract adjusted provided breadcrumbs that a move might be coming.
Once they got past the June 1 deadline, the Browns signaled their full-on rebuild by moving their best player. Waiting until now has allowed Cleveland to split the $41 million in dead money on the salary cap over the next two seasons — $15.53 million in 2026, $25.56 million in 2027 — rather than taking it all on in 2026.
The Browns spent the offseason revamping their offense, completely overhauling the offensive line and drafting receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. However, the significant questions remain at quarterback, where Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are expected to compete for the starting gig. If the franchise quarterback isn’t on the roster, moving on from Garrett now allows them to obtain picks that could help obtain one down the road. If they continued to flounder, the net return on the pass rusher one or two years from now would be significantly less.
Trading Garrett takes a massive bite out of the Browns’ defense, but getting Verse back softens the blow a smidge. Last year, Garrett gobbled up 23 QB takedowns while no other player on the roster hit the 7-sack mark. Cleveland now adds Verse, a bull-dog pass rusher from Dayton, Ohio, who can run over blockers and brings upside. The timeline of Verse, who is still growing his game, better aligns with Cleveland’s rebuild than the 30-plus-year-old Garrett.
Cleveland could have held firm and hoped to turn things around with Garrett in the next few seasons. However, his value was never going to be higher. The Rams offered a deal they couldn’t refuse.
Following the ill-fated Watson gambit in 2022, the Browns have struggled to find any sort of footing, lack assets to make significant additions, and still have no clear future under center. In one swift move, they admitted they’re still in the early stages of a rebuild under Monken and provided future picks to one day possibly get over that hump.
