The addition of Myles Garrett could help the Rams' young defensive line have a very productive season.
Following a tough loss in the NFC Championship game, the Los Angeles Rams were prepared to make the moves necessary in order to win the Super Bowl, and this offseason, one of those moves was trading for star pass rusher Myles Garrett.
Throughout Garrett's career, he has been a dominant force in the NFL, which was put on full display as he broke the single-season sack record with 23 sacks last season and added 33 tackles for loss as a disruptive presence in the run game as well. This level of expertise and experience can benefit the young Rams' defensive line in a major way.
To acquire Garrett, the Rams had to send one of their better young players in edge rushers, Jared Verse, to Cleveland, accompanied by several draft picks. While having to trade Verse was a tough decision to make, it could be the move that sets the Rams apart from the rest of the NFL.
In terms of Garrett's impact, he will no doubt create havoc for opposing offenses with his athleticism and disruption, but his biggest impact may be giving the Rams' young defensive line more opportunities to be productive.
One of the Rams' biggest strengths is the depth they have on the defensive line and the fact that many of these players are still developing. On the defensive line, the Rams have defensive tackles Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Ty Hamilton, Poona Ford, and Tyler Davis, in addition to edge rushers Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart, Keir Thomas II, and Desjuan Johnson.
Of all the young players the Rams have on the defensive line, Turner, Fiske, Young, and Stewart have been the players who have begun to emerge to earn crucial roles on Chris Shula's defense. In 2025, Turner totaled seven sacks and nine tackles for loss, Fiske recorded three sacks and four tackles for loss, Young tallied 12 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, and Stewart totaled three sacks and three tackles for loss.
The group of Turner, Fiske, Young, and Stewart has shown promise of being dominant players, but with Garrett, all four of them could take a massive step forward.
Garrett's presence alone is something that strikes fear into offensive lines with his elite athleticism, which he uses to dominate as a pass rusher and as a run defender. With Garrett on the edge, offenses will be forced to send double teams his way, whether that be a tight end or sliding a guard over.
Garrett has also been used all over the defensive line and has the ability to line up almost anywhere, which makes it very difficult to make a plan for him. Regardless of where Garrett lines up, the rest of the Rams' defensive line will have plenty of opportunities to win one-on-ones, which is everything a pass rusher wants.
On the interior, Turner and Fiske face more double teams than edge rushers do, but with Garrett, there should be more opportunities for them to use their pass rush moves to condense the pocket and put heavy pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
For Young and Stewart, on the edge, they should also get more one-on-one opportunities based on the fact that Garrett would be lining up on the other side. With more opportunities against tackles one-on-one, Young and Stewart both have the talent and physical traits to generate a significant amount of pressure and force offenses into mistakes that the Rams can take advantage of.
Another element that the Rams could use to their advantage is deploying Garrett on stunts, either as a looper or a decoy to get other pass rushers open. With Garrett's physical traits and consistent production, he has the ability to succeed in either role, which should give Shula lots of flexibility to put the rest of the defensive linemen in positions to get into the backfield a lot more often.
Garrett's experience in the NFL is something that will help him to mentor the Rams' young defensive line, but his presence on the field is the factor that could open up a significant amount of opportunities for the rest of the defensive line, which may help the Rams to have the most disruptive defensive line unit in the entire league.
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