1) Chris Shula, DC, Los Angles Rams: Los Angeles’ heartbreaking defeat in the NFC Championship Game was largely pinned on the defensive failures exhibited in the 31-27 loss to Seattle. The main culprit was the Rams’ secondary, a position group Snead upgraded aggressively via a trade for corner Trent McDuffie and the addition of McDuffie’s fellow former Chiefs corner Jaylen Watson.
That alone would have been enough to generally satisfy Rams fans. Monday’s trade, however, no doubt pushed the optimism over the edge.
Garrett’s arrival supplies Shula — a defensive coordinator whose successes nearly landed him a head coaching job in 2026 — with a game-wrecking force uniquely skilled enough to create mismatches anywhere along the defensive front. Instead of watching his pass rush register pressures but fail to get home, Shula can now deploy Garrett wherever he prefers and create advantages elsewhere. If he gets Garrett in a one-on-one matchup, he can smile as he watches Garrett destroy a tackle before swallowing up an opposing quarterback. Garrett joins Los Angeles fresh off a record-setting 23-sack campaign and has recorded at least 10 sacks in each of the past eight campaigns (he had seven in his 2017 rookie season).
That 346-yard, three-touchdown performance Sam Darnold authored in the NFC title game? Shula will now have the tools necessary to prevent something like that from happening again. Even if Garrett isn’t reaching pay dirt, his mere presence should free up others along that talented front toward clearer paths to the quarterback. In fact, add Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske to the group of winners here, too. Everybody should expect to eat in Los Angeles in 2026, thanks to Garrett’s arrival.
2) Myles Garrett, DE, Los Angeles Rams: Over the last two seasons, Garrett wasn’t bashful about how the Browns’ frequent losses drained him. Nothing is quite as rejuvenating as an ocean breeze, sunshine and a legitimate chance to win a ring.
Garrett will pack up and leave Cleveland — his football home for the majority of the last decade, for better or worse — for a consistent, stable winner in Los Angeles. He’ll arrive to great expectations and will be fully equipped to deliver on them under the direction of Shula. And for the first time since the 2023 season, Garrett can expect to play meaningful football in December and January.
If anybody deserved a breath of fresh air in his career journey, it’s Garrett. He’ll find that and more with the Rams. Even better: After signing an extension and toning down his discontent over the last year, he probably won’t leave Cleveland as a villain, either.