Trading Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams may look crazy to Cleveland Browns fans on the surface, but this could easily be a win for Andrew Berry.
Here are some reasons that Cleveland may not regret moving on from Myles at this point in his career.
Why Trading Myles Garrett to Rams Is a Win for the Cleveland Browns
The Details of the Trade
In return for trading Myles Garrett to the Rams, the Browns receive young phenom Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick. While it is obviously going to be viewed as a player-for-player downgrade for Cleveland, Verse is an ascending talent who is already considered a top-10 player at his position.
Cap Relief and Future Considerations
Garrett’s contract was restructured in March 2026, which deferred bonuses and made a post-June 1 trade far more palatable. Pre-June 1, trading him would have created a dead-cap hit of $41 million. By waiting it out, the Browns instead absorb:
- $15.53 million in dead cap in 2026
- $25.56 million in dead cap in 2027 (with the remainder accelerating)
The Browns could possibly cut Deshaun Watson after the 2026 season (post-June 1 designation). His dead money is already structured to spread out—roughly $34–36 million in 2027 and ~$51 million in 2028 ($86 million accelerated).
Trading Garrett expedites the painful but necessary cap purge. It creates a situation where Cleveland can get the books cleared from two massive contracts in time to start re-signing in-house talent. Basically, the Browns will be working with as much rookie, short-contract and affordable vet money as possible over the next two seasons for the freedom to re-sign their own players and go after free-agent talent in 2028.
Comparing Jared Verse to Myles Garrett: Age, Production and Quality Years Left
At 30 years of age and coming off another dominant season, it would appear that there is no slowing down in Garrett’s game. However, the typical breakpoint for an edge rusher comes around their age-32 season and shows exponential decline from age 35 on. Considering Verse is only 25, this would essentially give the Browns a seven-year run to his age-32 season compared to only a two-year run with Garrett.
Fans can argue about production over potential and how player decline varies greatly, and just about every opinion offered will have some validity. However, it does come down to a simple bit of arithmetic: Cleveland just got younger at one of the three most important positions in football. They did it with a dynamite player who is still growing as a pro, and they added much-needed draft capital while doing so.
While it’s obvious that Garrett’s production is the standard-setter at this point in his career, Verse has shown the ability to be a potential heir to that throne.
Seamless Transition for Jared Verse
Verse slides directly into Garrett’s edge role in the Browns’ base defense. He’s a power-and-speed edge rusher who can win with first-step quickness, hand usage and explosive movement. young star Mason Graham becomes his Byron Young on the line, so be prepared for those comparisons to start rolling in. Division rivals in the AFC North have been dealing with Garrett by keeping more than one blocker in front of him for more snaps than not, so Verse will likely get the same treatment. If he can make an impact early in the season, Cleveland’s defense has enough talent and youth to be a constant problem for 2026 and years to come.
The Last Word
There are going to be Browns fans who are absolutely livid about this trade. They’ve watched one of the best players in all of football over the last nine seasons shine on a defense that has kept Cleveland competitive at times, but they were never able to become a true factor in the AFC North. In that time, Garrett has had four head coaches and four defensive coordinators. Put simply: The Browns failed to build around one of the best players in the history of the league.
That reads about as bad as it actually is.
However, before the situation got to the point that Garrett was simply off the roster and Cleveland was left with nothing but memories—both painful and sweet—Berry was able to move him for a highly coveted player at the same position and get additional draft capital to continue building the team. It may not feel like it right now, Browns fans, but this is a solid win. And while nobody is really noticing, Berry and the Browns are quietly going about the business of stacking those wins with the roster and building something that Cleveland can turn into gameday victories consistently.
Main Photo Courtesy of Joseph Maiorana – Imagn Images
