The Myles Garrett Trade: 4 Weeks In, Who Won?

Four weeks is too early to write the final chapter on a trade built around a premier pass rusher. It is not too early to ask who is getting the better opening return. The Rams acquired Myles Garrett, a proven star, and paid three picks, including a 2027 first-rounder. Cleveland received a younger player in Jared Verse along with future draft capital. Four games into the season, Verse has more tackles than Garrett. That single comparison doesn’t settle the deal, but it puts the early scorecard in plain view: the Browns are getting production now and keeping valuable picks for later.

The Rams’ case starts with why teams make this kind of move. A proven star can alter protection plans, raise the level of the pass rush, and give a contender a defensive centerpiece without waiting for a prospect to develop. Garrett brings a track record that Verse can’t match yet. The Rams didn’t make the trade because they expected four weeks of tidy box-score comparisons. They paid for a player whose reputation and proven ability could matter most in high-leverage games, when one disruptive snap can change a possession or a season.

That upside is real, but so is the price. Three picks are three chances to add cost-controlled talent, and a 2027 first-rounder is the kind of asset that gives a team options well beyond this Sunday. When you trade that package, the star has to make the difference between being good and reaching the goal you’re chasing. “He’s Myles Garrett” explains the price. It doesn’t automatically justify it. The Rams need the pressure, attention, and game-changing impact to show up consistently enough that the picks feel like a fair exchange.

Cleveland’s return is built differently. Verse is younger, already producing more tackles than Garrett through four weeks, and has room to grow into a larger role. Tackles aren’t a complete pass-rush evaluation. They don’t tell us every pressure, assignment, or double-team effect. But they are evidence that Verse is involved, finishing plays, and contributing immediately. The Browns also collected future picks, including premium draft capital, giving the franchise more than one route to improve the roster. A young player producing now plus selections that can become future contributors is a strong early return.

The Rams can still win this trade. Garrett’s value isn’t limited to tackles, and the season’s defining moments haven’t all happened yet. If his pass rush changes games, helps the defense close out meaningful wins, and gives Los Angeles the postseason edge it paid for, the investment will look different. The Rams are betting on the difference between accumulating assets and using a proven star at the exact moment a contender needs one. That’s a defensible bet. It just requires the star impact to arrive where it counts.

The Browns’ win condition is more straightforward: Verse continues to develop, the picks become useful players or trade assets, and the team turns a single star into several years of roster flexibility. They’ve already got the early production, and they’ve avoided tying the entire return to one aging timeline. Cleveland doesn’t need Verse to become Garrett overnight. It needs him to be productive, improve, and make the draft capital count.

That verdict is about the opening quarter of the season, not the lifetime value of the deal. The Rams bought certainty and star power; the Browns bought youth, production, and options. Both teams can still get what they wanted. But at this point, the Browns have the clearer early payoff, and Los Angeles carries the heavier burden of proving that a proven star was worth three picks and a first-rounder.