The Cleveland Browns made the very difficult decision to trade away arguably the best player in the NFL. Myles Garrett just set the league record for sacks in a season, and he has been one of the most consistent pass rushers in the game for almost a decade.
Add in the fact that he is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and it is almost impossible to determine what would have been fair value in return. So, there will be an ongoing debate about whether the Browns got enough in their deal with the Los Angeles Rams.
The return of younger Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse, plus a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, a second-round pick in 2028, and a third-round pick in 2029 may not seem sufficient, based on some of the packages discussed earlier in the offseason. But overall, Cleveland likely did as well as it could in moving on from the 30-year-old.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero said he believes the Browns got enough in exchange for Garrett because Verse was included in the trade.
“I thought the value they got for Myles Garrett was very good,” Pelissero said.
Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry has said Verse being part of it pushed them to make the deal. He gives the Browns a productive immediate replacement for Garrett, and the 25-year-old is also a welcome personality change.
“He’s is a great culture guy. He’s a really good dude. He’s exactly the type of person and player you’d want to build around,” Pelissero said.
The Browns may have been limited by the fact that there were not multiple teams bidding for Garrett in early June, as there may have been leading up to the 2026 draft. But the Rams reportedly had been targeting Garrett for months, so they were eager to make a fair deal worth considering.
Pelissero makes the case that trading for Verse alone would have cost a first-round pick plus at least another mid-round selection. The Browns also do not have to face the unknown of a future draft pick, as Verse has already been the Defensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons.
The final analysis of this trade is likely still years away, but as of now, it seems like a good deal for the Browns, with the potential to get even better.
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