In order for the Los Angeles Rams to complete their monumental trade for NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, they had to send star defender Jared Verse to Cleveland. Verse, the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler, was expected to take a massive jump in sack production.
Verse didn’t, and it was actually Byron Young who secured double-digit sacks. The Rams added Garrett, who set an NFL record with 23 sacks last season. While the move is brilliant on paper, we have yet to see what the results will be. With CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan naming Verse as the 14th-best player on his list of the top 25 players who are 25 or younger, Sullivan’s ranking poses a massive question.
“Jared Verse was a key piece in the biggest blockbuster trade of the offseason,” wrote Sullivan. “While most of the attention centered on Myles Garrett going from the Browns to the Rams, Verse is a strong consolation prize for Cleveland, along with the slew of draft picks included in the deal, including a 2027 first-rounder.
“Verse is a stellar pass rusher in his own right, logging the sixth-highest pressure rate in the NFL since entering the league. He’s also stout against the run, posting the second-best run stop win rate among edge rushers last season. He’s a well-rounded player with an All-Pro ceiling and earned Pro Bowl honors in each of his first two NFL seasons.”
The question is simple: Did the Rams give up the next eight years of a generational talent to acquire a player exiting his prime?
The answer
Verse is in an odd spot because for as much praise as he gets, he also has yet to develop into the game-wrecker we all believe he will be. He’s a star, but his lack of pass-rush moves has prevented him from jumping into that top tier. Perhaps that is Verse’s fault; perhaps he couldn’t improve, as the Rams’ secondary was figured out by the end of the 2025 season, and his ability to secure sacks decreased.
Verse is now in a division that loves to throw the football, and despite the offensive firepower within the AFC North, the franchises have remained stunted in a way that should give Verse ample opportunity to cause chaos. He is also a key piece on a loaded defense for Cleveland.
In the same breath, Garrett is set to turn 31 in December, and while he’s an athletic freak who takes tremendous care of his body, Garrett also plays a physically demanding position and has participated in 134 NFL contests. Garrett’s talents are second to none, but that doesn’t matter when teams have defeated the Rams with a quick passing game.
Verse’s lack of sacks is partly on him. There’s also a reason he is one of the NFL’s best at generating pressures. The Shanahan scheme, along with other top offenses, has burned the Rams and Chris Shula in the past. Garrett can only make up for so much, and all three NFC West teams use the Shanahan offense.
That offense picked apart the Rams in the NFC Championship Game and made Mac Jones and Kendrick Bourne look like Joe Montana and Jerry Rice last season when the 49ers came to Los Angeles. It’s widely believed that those issues stemmed from Shula’s inability to be creative with his defensive construction given the personnel he had. With Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson now on the team, those issues should cease, meaning Garrett will have the time to attack – time that Verse was often robbed of.
There’s also the inverse idea that Garrett’s skills should generate time on their own, perhaps fixing issues in that way, as well – something that justified the cost of losing Verse.
Regardless, the move to add Garrett and the cost to do so remain an ultimate gamble. The good news is that even if Garrett’s play declines, he’s championship-quality, and the price of tomorrow does not matter if the Rams win a Super Bowl today.
So, to the question of whether the Rams gave up the next eight years of a generational talent for a player exiting his prime, the answer is simple: Most likely, but Garrett’s prime will probably exist longer than most. More importantly, Garrett’s a better bet at this point, and that’s something a team needs when it’s championship or bust, regardless of cost.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Will the Rams regret trading away Jared Verse as he enters his prime?
Reporting by Brock Vierra, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brock Vierra, Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
