Why The Eagles Were Never Getting Myles Garrett (And That's Alright)

The Eagles were in the running for Garrett, but couldn't offer what the Rams could

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Can't blame the Philadelphia Eagles for trying to get Myles Garrett.

The Eagles were interested in acquiring Garrett from the Cleveland Browns, and have been interested in getting him for years. Garrett ended up getting traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster deal, which involved a 2027 first-round pick and star pass rusher Jared Verse.

At the end of the day, that price ended up being too high for the Eagles. Philadelphia was in the running, but the Eagles couldn't pull off the deal -- not for lack of trying.

Even with the acquisition of Jonathan Greenard in April, the Eagles still called about Garrett. There were other factors at play, but the Eagles simply couldn't match what the Rams could.

Jared Verse was the deal breaker

The Rams were reluctant to give up Verse in the deal, as reported by Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. There were reasons they had to give up Verse, and tried to hold onto him until the very end.

The Eagles had a package of their own involving their own young pass rushers, namely Nolan Smith or Jalyx Hunt. Both Smith and Hunt have two years left on their rookie contracts, like Verse. Smith has this year and the fifth-year option while Hunt as two years left on his original rookie contract.

Neither player matches the talent level as Verse, who is a difference maker as a pass rusher. Verse is also only 25 years old and entering the prime of his career, a player the Browns can add to their young core in the midst of their rebuild.

Add in Verse with a 2027 first-round pick as the centerpieces of a Garrett trade, and the Browns have the highest bidder.

Did the A.J. Brown deal hold things up?

The Eagles had to wait until June 1 to trade Brown, but so did the Browns with Myles Garrett. The Browns were wise to split the $41 million in dead cap space as a result of the Garrett trade, pushing that charge back to 2027.

The Eagles do want to get a first-round pick in exchange for Brown, but it would make sense for them to want a 2027 first-round pick if they were to make a run at Garrett. Having two first-round picks in a talent-rich 2027 draft makes giving a pick up for Garrett easier to stomach (like a team would stomach giving up a premium pick for Garrett anyway).

A 2028 first-round pick is nice -- and premium draft capital -- but the 2027 first-round draft pick is better. The Eagles also have to get Brown's cap off their books too., yet they had enough cap space to pull both deals off this week.

Brown's future was just a piece of the puzzle.

The Eagles still have a very good pass rush

Easy to see why the Eagles would covet Garrett. Who wouldn't?

Garrett is the Reggie White of this era, a difference maker at pass rusher that is going to play at an extremely high level into his 30s. The way Garrett takes care of his body and his drive -- in addition to his God-given talent -- sets the future Hall of Famer up for continued dominance.

Just imagine a pass rusher like that under Vic Fangio?

The Eagles didn't get Garrett, but that's okay. They added a premium pass rusher in Jonathan Greenard, who will be a significant asset to this defense. Greenard should have the same impact on this unit as Jalen Phillips last season -- and he's a better player.

Philadelphia still has Smith and Hunt in the fold, and will determine their futures with the team in the coming years. Hunt has the potential to be an elite pass rusher, especially since he's still growing into his frame.

Smith is still very good when healthy, but he has to be able to stay on the field. The Eagles also signed Arnold Ebiketie this offseason, who is a very good No. 4 pass rusher and a tremendous asset to this group.

The Eagles have a very good pass rush that should be amongst the best in the league. They would have been an unstoppable force if they had Garrett to go with Greenard.