Biggest Winners and Losers From Rams Trading for Myles Garrett

The Los Angeles Rams showed that they are ‘all-in’ on the 2026 season when they traded for Myles Garrett earlier this week. there were some obvious winners and losers. Garrett finally gets to play for a Super Bowl contender while Verse has to make the best of a much different situation with the Browns. Let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from the trade.

Winner: Myles Garrett

There is not a bigger winner of the Myles Garrett trade than Myles Garrett. For much of the past three years, Garrett has carried the Browns defense. They ranked eighth in defense DVOA last season and were second in 2023. While the Browns made the playoffs in 2023, losing 45-14 to the Houston Texans, they went 5-12 last season with Garrett breaking the single-season sack record. Garrett will be playing with a better supporting cast on defense and have a competent offense for the first time since 2020. With the Rams, Garrett should have more leads and therefore more pass-rush opportunities.

Loser: Jared Verse

This isn’t to say that Verse is a bad player or won’t make the best of his situation with the Cleveland Browns. However, it’s also fair to feel some disappointment for the player. Verse embraced what it meant to be a Ram. He was just part of a team that was one game away from the Super Bowl and was making another strong push this year. Verse goes from living in Los Angeles to Cleveland.

“It was upsetting,” said Verse via Pro Football Talk. “I was upset for a good little bit of time. Everybody does what they think is best for their business and that’s the situation that I’m in. I’m happy to be a part of the Browns. I’m happy that they believe in me and that they were able to make that trade and bring me here.”

Verse will now be the centerpiece of a rebuild rather than being a foundational piece of a Super Bowl contender. He can still develop into a great player, but the success he experiences may be more individual than team success.

Winner: Other Rams Defensive Stars

With Aaron Donald, the Rams defense experienced an “Aaron Donald effect”. Dante Fowler had 11.5 sacks in 2019 while playing with Donald, which is still his career-high. Before playing on the same defensive line as Donald, the most sacks Leonard Floyd had in a season was seven as a rookie. Floyd had 10.5 sacks during his first season with the Rams. It was one fewer sack than his previous three years combined.

The Rams defense could feel a similar impact with Garrett. With offenses focusing so much on Garrett, it will likely open up more opportunities for players like Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and Braden Fiske. Josaiah Stewart could also see a bigger role in the future. Those players should get more favorable looks as teams game-plan around Garrett.

Loser: Ty Simpson

It’s hard to say that Simpson is truly a loser in this situation as the Rams have proven to be able to sustain success after trading away draft picks. However, the focus is clearly on getting Matthew Stafford a second Super Bowl. The Rams traded away a young, foundational piece in Verse in addition to a 2027 first-round pick. There have also been reports that the Rams may not pay players like Kobie Turner and Puka Nacua. If that’s the case, Simpson could be left with a bare roster by 2028. The Rams could still set him up in a good situation. However, they’ll need to be successful later in the draft as they have been in the past.

Winner: Chris Shula

Outside of Garrett, the biggest winner of the Myles Garrett trade is defensive coordinator Chris Shula. Shula did a great job with the Rams defense in 2024 as they exceeded expectations. While they were statistically better in 2025, they didn’t take the step forward that some expected. Shula now gets to coach arguably the best defensive player in the NFL. Over the last two years, Shula has interviewed for head coaching jobs. If the Rams defense performs well in 2026, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him finally get an opportunity.

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