Seahawks Are NFC West Underdogs After Rams Trade For Myles Garrett

The Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the NFL world are processing the news of the Los Angeles Rams acquiring Cleveland Browns defensive star Myles Garrett for Jared Verse and several future draft picks, including a first-round selection in 2027.

The move comes after the June 1 deadline, which made it much easier for the Rams to absorb Garrett's contract onto the roster. With Garrett joining the Rams, it puts the Seahawks in a tough spot to repeat as NFC West champions.

Rams Building Defense to Challenge Seahawks

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett celebrates as he comes back on the field | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Rams have been busy this offseason after losing to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game. They traded for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie and added his teammate Jalen Watson in free agency. Those two should build a top-tier secondary that will challenge Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed.

Adding Garrett into the mix with that group only makes Los Angeles that much more dangerous. Garrett recorded 23 sacks last season, which made him the NFL's all-time leader in sacks for a single season. Since being the number one overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Garrett has 125.5 sacks, which ranks first in the league by a wide margin since he arrived in the NFL.

The closest player to Garrett's sack total is T.J. Watt, who has recorded 115 sacks with the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first nine NFL seasons.

With Garrett on board in Los Angeles, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will have less time to find his receivers in the pocket.

Luckily for the Seahawks, they have Mike Macdonald leading their team. Macdonald saw Garrett plenty during his time with the Baltimore Ravens and he will have nearly seven months to make a game plan to contain Garrett when the Rams come to town on Christmas Day.

Seahawks Will Have Tough Task to Repeat, But It's Not Impossible

The Seahawks will face the Rams twice in the final three weeks of the season. The first matchup against Garrett and the Rams will be on Christmas Day at Lumen Field. That game could very well determine which squad will win the NFC West.

Even though the Rams have stocked up on upgrades, the Seahawks are still the defending Super Bowl champions and have a team capable of winning another title. The Seahawks will need to find ways to combat these changes if they want to compete with the Rams, who are pushing all of their chips in to try and sneak out one more ring while Matthew Stafford is their quarterback.

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