Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry wasted little time in trading defensive end Myles Garrett once the calendar turned to June 1, making a move financially more prudent for the Browns.
In exchange for Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, the franchise’s all-time sack leader, and a player that opposing offenses often had to triple-team in an attempt to slow him down, to the Los Angeles Rams, the Browns are receiving third-year defensive end Jared Verse, the Rams’ first-round selection in the 2027 NFL Draft, a second-round selection in the 2028 draft, and a third-rounded in the 2029 draft.
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The draft picks are nice for a franchise that is still digging out from the disastrous $230 million guaranteed contract for quarterback Deshaun Watson and gives the club two first-round picks for the second consecutive year, presumably to take another shot at fixing the quarterback position.
As often happens with trades of this magnitude, the deal did not come together overnight. Rather, Berry and Los Angeles general manager Les Snead have been talking since before last month’s draft, according to Jay Glazer at Fox Sports, and from the Rams standpoint, the possibility that they would be able to land a generational talent like Garrett helped lead them to drafting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, knowing they would be without a first-round pick next year if they were able to consummate the deal.
On Cleveland’s side, it came down to wanting more than just draft picks, as Berry needed the Rams to include Verse to help offset the loss of Garrett to the defense. The Rams were hoping the lure of draft picks would be enough, but Berry held firm, Snead blinked, and Verse will now have the tall task of filling Garrett’s shoes.
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Berry basically confirmed that Verse was the key to the deal in the team’s official announcement about the trade:
“Chief among the considerations to make the decision was the inclusion of Jared Verse – a player our fan base will love. At 25 years old with two Pro Bowls and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award under his belt, we receive a young, elite player at a premium position who will only continue to improve in his third NFL season. Jared’s passion and relentless style of play will be embraced by our fans. He will fit right in with the established identity of our defense. We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome him to the Dawg Pound!”
So, there it is. The Rams get a future Hall-of-Famer in Garrett to go along with what they hope is going to be their next quarterback after Matthew Stafford eventually retires, while the Browns get Verse, who is a very good player in his own right, and the continued hope of draft picks to solve the quarterback problem.
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