Garrett Trade Another Big Win For Lamar Jackson As More AFC North Pass Rushers Depart

The happiest quarterback in the NFL about the Myles Garrett trade to Los Angeles has to be Rams MVP Matthew Stafford. The second happiest is probably Lamar Jackson.

Getting Garrett out of the AFC North caps what’s been a phenomenal offseason for the Ravens former MVP quarterback in terms of his individual nemesis when it comes to opposing pass rushers. It comes on the heels of the Ravens landing former Bengals edge menace Trey Hendrickson as a free agent, and the retirement of longtime Bengals defensive lineman Sam Hubbard (shocking stats against Jackson). If TJ Watt (Pittsburgh) can’t stay healthy and prove he’s all the way back to Defensive MVP form, Jackson might really have cause for celebration.

Make no mistake, Garrett was Public Enemy No. 1 for Jackson, and with serious questions lingering about the Ravens offensive line and whether or not 30-year old rookie play caller Declan Doyle and his staff will be up to the task, at least they don’t have to lose sleep anymore trying to figure out how to double team (or triple team) Garrett.

His blockbuster move to the Rams does introduce a revved up pass-ushing force to the AFC North in Jared Verse (a part of the package going to Cleveland, but given all of the history between Lamar and Garrett, at least for now the QB can probably live with that exchange.

No One Gets To Lamar Like Garrett

Garrett has 12 career sacks in 13 games against Jackson, an utterly ridiculous number. He is the player who probably gives aging left tackle Ronnie Stanley the biggest fits as well, and he can absolutely blow up any play behind the line of scrimmage at any time, run or pass. The Browns continue in rebuilding mode and Jackson can breathe a little easier.

Watt is second on the all-time Jackson sack list at a distant 8.5 (though he’s done it in just eight games, gulp), while Hubbard is the only other person on the planet to sack Jackson more than four times (4.5).

Garrett has also hit Lamar 18 times (per TruMedia), tied with Watt for the most of anyone.

Garrett has 39 career QB hurries against Lamar, a pretty ridiculous number, and no one else comes close. The ex-Bengals combo of Hubbard and Hendrickson are tied for second with 23 each. Watt has 21.

And, well, Lamar has just plain seen Garrett – whether it be right in front of him or in his peripheral vision or, yikes, felt him before he’s seen him on the blindside. Garrett has been on the field for 357 of Jackson’s dropbacks, far and away most of any defensive lineman or linebacker in Jackson’s career. Watt is next at 263.

Watt actually has a superior pressure rate to Garrett when rushing Jackson – 17.3% to 16.3% - and perhaps he will have a bounce back season after struggling to get through the last two seasons.

And if you are wondering about near-Raven Maxx Crosby, whose trade to Baltimore was scuttled by Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta after being verbally agreed to (which set the stage for the Hendrickson signing instead), he’s actually disrupted Lamar more than anyone else, if allowing for a limited sample size.

In just two meetings vs. Lamar (including one in which Stanley was clearly still hurt and should not have been on the field), Crosby has four sacks, seven QB hits, 10 hurries and an unthinkable 23.3% pressure rate. In case you are wondering, the Raiders are not on the schedule. Nor are the Rams … And if Hubbard (10 games against Lamar) decides to come out of retirement, the Ravens should probably think about signing him.

Subscribe On YouTube For The Best Ravens Coverage:

Add us as a preferred source on Google