If a star player is on the trade block, the Los Angeles Rams are always one of the first teams to come up. There’s no trade too bold for Les Snead and Sean McVay, which leads us to the latest rumors surrounding Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett.
The Browns don’t appear intent on trading Garrett but they restructured his contract earlier this offseason to make a trade more feasible. And now that it’s June 1, Cleveland is able to split up his dead cap charges over the next two years in the event that he is traded.
With June 1 being a key date for players like Garrett and A.J. Brown, it’s unsurprising that rumors have begun to swirl, linking the Rams to the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
These aren’t substantiated or confirmed reports from insiders with proven track records, but we can’t ignore the fact that Los Angeles could be a team to watch with Garrett. It started with Packers insider Easton Butler of 24/7 Sports, who shared on social media Sunday night that the Rams have reportedly “called the Cleveland Browns” about Garrett, and that the Browns are “listening to all the calls.”
Then Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot wrote on Monday that “some of the teams rumored to have interest in Garrett are the Rams, Eagles and Cowboys, but nothing has been substantiated.”
She added that it seems “as though there might be some fire where the smoke is coming from in regards to the possibility of Garrett being moved.” What previously sounded unrealistic now seems possible.
On top of that, ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Rizzo said, “the Rams are the team I’ve heard is interested.”
Where there’s smoke, there’s often fire. But is that the case with these rumors? The Rams check a few of the boxes needed to make a trade for someone like Garrett.
They have the draft capital with all of their future first-round picks still available. They also have the Super Bowl-caliber roster to go all-in for Garrett, similar to the way they did with Von Miller in 2021. And in terms of cap space, they’re flush with it; Over The Cap projects the Rams to have over $25 million in cap room this year and $94 million in 2027.
Some might say they don’t have a need at edge rusher with Jared Verse and Byron Young, but if the Rams were to acquire Garrett, Young would be a logical piece of that trade. He’s in the final year of his contract and would help Cleveland replace Garrett on the edge.
Snead openly stated that by drafting Ty Simpson this year and keeping their 2027 first-round pick in their pocket, they have the assets to bolster the roster this year. Might they use their future firsts for a player like Garrett? It would certainly fit the mold of how Los Angeles has operated in the past.
These are all just rumors right now, but the Rams can’t be ruled out if Cleveland does decide to move Garrett. It would align perfectly with Los Angeles’ all-in approach.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Trade rumors are linking the Rams to Browns star Myles Garrett
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
