The Cleveland Browns didn't plan on trading Myles Garrett. Then the Los Angeles Rams added a key element to their trade offer that pushed the blockbuster deal to the finish line.
As the debate rages on over whether or not the Cleveland Browns got enough in return in their blockbuster trade that sent Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams this week, internally, the organization feels like they made out.
The deal saw Cleveland net a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, a 2029 third-round pick, and the kicker, young defensive end Jared Verse.
Speaking on the trade in detail for the first time on Tuesday, Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Andrew Berry made it clear that they had no intention of trading Garrett this offseason.
However, when the persistent Rams eventually upped the ante by adding Verse to the deal, sometime after the NFL Draft, suddenly things changed.
"The inclusion of Jared in the deal," said Berry, when asked to pinpoint when the team's stance changed from wanting Garrett to be a career Brown to being willing to deal him. It's proof that everybody has a price.
"[Trading Myles] wasn't like a plan A going into the offseason," Berry asserted. "Quite honestly, we would have operated differently if it was, but sometimes things come across your path that you're not expecting, and you can't be so dogmatic in your strategy and planning that you can't adjust and be flexible to great opportunities.”
In this case, the addition of Verse was the sweetener Cleveland needed to deviate from their plan. At 25, he's a young, on-the-rise replacement for Garrett. No, the numbers don't match those of freakishly gifted, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, who just took over the single-season sack crown last season. Still, Verse ranked sixth in total pressures (80) was tied for 27th in TFLs (11) and tied for 29th in sacks (7.5) last season.
His 52 hurries were actually more than Garrett logged in 2025. And he had a pressure rate of 16.4%, only one point down from Garrett's 17.5%.
It's not an apples-to-apples swap, but it's easy to see why Verse moved the needle for Cleveland, particularly to fill the void Garrett was leaving behind immediately.
"I’ll tell you what, we were very pleased with the return we got," Berry said. "I mean, I think for us, getting a player of Jared's caliber plus the pick considerations was excellent. It's something that we certainly didn't expect coming into the spring."
The upside for Verse is real. In 2024 he won Defensive Rookie of the Year, and improved upon those marks in year two. Cleveland's defense will now be home to the last two Defensive Rookie of the Year winners with Carson Schwesinger taking home the honor in 2025.
Technically, Verse is listed as a linebacker, hailing from Chris Shula's 3-4 defense. He'll transition into more of a hand-in-the-dirt edge rusher role in Mike Rutenberg's scheme in Cleveland. For Berry and the Browns, the differences between the two roles is negligible, which should make for a smooth transition.
"I think the blurring of outside linebacker and defensive end, that's really what you're seeing in today's game," said Berry. "He's a perfect fit as an edge rusher for our defense."
In the end, the Browns got what they needed to be comfortable trading one of the best players in franchise history. If they hadn't, Garrett would probably still be here.
"Myles wasn't on the training block," reiterated Berry. We weren't auctioning him off. This is not something that was a primary consideration over the spring."
But things changed. And with Garrett gone, so too has the direction of the franchise. Cleveland believes it's for the better.
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