By Trading Myles Garrett, the Browns Let Their Fans Down Again

The trade serves as a sobering reminder that when it comes to Cleveland, the only sure thing is the next rebuild.

Jul 26, 2019; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) waves the crowd during training camp at the Cleveland Browns Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

News of the Myles Garrett trade sent shockwaves throughout the NFL, as for the first time in league history, a reigning Defensive Player of the Year was traded away. 

And with the move, the Andrew Berry-led Cleveland Browns front office has once again let the fans down. 

In the end, this shouldn’t come as a surprise from the team that pushed Jim Brown to early retirement and was ready to ship Joe Thomas to the Broncos, as well. But finding a way to get rid of your icons, those who shape the identity of the team, shouldn’t be high among the priorities of a general manager. 

This isn’t about Jared Verse or the three draft picks bundled up with him as compensation for the reigning single season sack leader. It’s about trying to constantly sell the notion that you’re on the brink of breaking through, just to wave goodbye to the best player you’ve had since, well, Jim Brown. 

Gerrett deserved much more through the nine years he played for the Browns -- even if he asked to be traded a little over a year ago, although there are reports confirming it wasn’t the case this time around -- and he deserved much more now. He deserved a more capable front office. He deserved to win in Cleveland. He’ll get to win now, in L.A.

Sure, Jared Verse is a fine up and coming young player. Two Pro Bowl nods in two years along with a Defensive Rookie of the Year Award are no small feat. Plus, he’s still playing under a very reasonable rookie deal. So, why are the Rams so willing to give him up and then some, for Garrett? Why not offer something/someone else and keep Verse along with Garrett? The answer is obvious: he’s no Garrett.

Now, the team tied with the highest over/under win totals for the upcoming season (11.5) just added the NFL’s most dreaded pass rusher. They were already Super Bowl winner favorites at +800, but those odds shortened to +600 with the arrival of Garrett. That's the caliber of player the Browns just gave up.

The ‘this is a business’ argument

This is probably the worst part of the decision, because in case you’ve forgotten, we’re talking about the Browns. This is the league that’s coined lines like "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing", “Just win, baby!” and “You play to win the game,” among so many others. Even new head coach Todd Monken recently stated “We’re in the development business and the winning business.”

Well, the Browns are actually pretty bad at that business.

On the other hand, Cleveland really shines at winning the offseasons with multiple first-round drafts. Don’t believe me? Look up what was written at the time in 2010, 2014 or 2015. Same goes for 2017, 2018 and this year of course. Because, if there’s one thing that Cleveland really loves, is their perpetual rebuilding.

This is confirmed by none other than team owner Jimmy Haslam, who stated regarding the Garrett trade: “Our goal continues to be building a consistently winning franchise that our fans and this region deserve.”

And when you look at the draft picks paid along with Verse, things get gloomier. Take that extra third-rounder as an example. Forget for one second that guys like Dillon Gabriel and Zak Zinter are already irrelevant on the Browns roster -- one and two years out, respectively -- after being taken as third rounders, and consider that Cleveland hasn’t drafted one single first-team All-Pro later than the second round since 1974, when they picked up Brian Sipe in the 13th round.

Let’s not even get into the first and second round discussion, because the Browns might be under the false impression that their 2025 draft yield is the norm and not the exception. 

So, for a team that operates under a strict “more is more” offseason policy when it comes to draft picks, Berry and his staff have already won in their minds with the Garrett trade, even if we’re still stuck in this exact same place next year and the year after that, albeit without the league’s top pass rusher. 

Seeing Garrett traded away serves as a sobering reminder that when it comes to the Browns, the only thing they’re on the brink of is the next rebuild.