Transcendent Sean McVay Poised To Maximize Super-Talented Myles Garrett For Rams

LOS ANGELES — After appearing grumpy following the Los Angeles Rams’ first-round selection of backup quarterback Ty Simpson on draft night, head coach Sean McVay was back to his chippy, enthusiastic self after his team consummated one of the biggest trades in NFL history, securing the league’s best defensive player in former Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett.

Garrett sat sandwiched between jovial Rams general manager Les Snead and McVay during the opening moments of his introductory press conference. And then the duo got down to the nitty-gritty of a franchise-altering move that had been in the works for months, according to Snead.

The Rams went from slight favorites over the defending champion Seattle Seahawks to the overwhelming pick to win the Super Bowl with Garrett in the fold. But Garrett isn’t getting too far ahead of himself, acknowledging his new team still must go out and do it on game days.

Garrett said he found out a week ago about the possibility of landing in Los Angeles via trade. 

“On paper, I’m sure things look great, but we got to go out there and put the work in,” Garrett said at the podium. “It starts in the field, starts in the classroom, and we’re not going to take a single day for granted. We’re not going to be looking at any odds or favorites. We’re going to win each game day-by-day.”

Those wise words from Garrett were music to McVay’s ears.

“It’s one day at a time and I love everything that he said because I couldn’t be more in agreement,” McVay said. “We’re not going to let the outside narratives affect our ability to be courageous every single day and go swing and see what the hell happens.”

Garrett has had four head coaches, 16 starting quarterbacks and just one playoff win during his time with the Browns. He’s finished with double-digit sacks for eight consecutive seasons in Cleveland, won the Defensive Player of the Year twice and is third among active leaders in the NFL with 125.5 sacks. 

An eight-time captain and five-time All-Pro, Garrett is the only player in league history to record at least 14.0 sacks in five consecutive seasons (2021-25). 

With the move to the bright lights of L.A., Garrett finally has a transformative head coach in McVay that matches his superstar talent. During that same time Garrett has been in the league, McVay has led the Rams to seven playoff berths and two Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. 

The Rams have had eight winning seasons with four NFC West titles under McVay’s guidance. At 40 years old, McVay is currently the fifth-youngest coach in the NFL, but he’s also the second-longest tenured coach behind only Andy Reid. By moving to Los Angeles, Garrett gets the stability and sustainable success he coveted in Cleveland. 

“They love playing the game and they love playing the game for this guy,” Garrett said, motioning toward McVay during the press conference. “That means a lot, having a player’s coach lead you onto that field and wanting to give the extra effort and go the extra mile for him and for each other. That’s what you feel going on to that field now. These guys are going to war, not just as individuals but as a team. That’s how you end up playing those games later into the year.”

McVay already has proof of concept that he can coax the most out of extremely talented, high-maintenance athletes. Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller, Eric Weddle, Odell Beckham Jr. and Matthew Stafford are all players brought in by McVay who performed to their full potential in helping to lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory.

Garrett now joins that group as a hired gun for the Rams in a move made to help put this franchise over the top in winning a Super Bowl in their home stadium for the second time in league history. 

Yes, I previously stated the Rams would miss the playoffs as one of my five bold predictions earlier this offseason. But I must amend my prediction after this seismic move in securing the services of a future Hall of Famer in Garrett.

And that move could lead to the return of another future Hall of Famer, as former Ram Aaron Donald is considering coming out of retirement. McVay was asked about the possibility during the press conference.

“Aaron’s a guy that I stay really close in touch with, and I know the respect that he has for Myles,” McVay said. “I talked to him about the opportunity to be able to bring [Garrett] on board. If Aaron decides he wants to dust them off at the age of 35, I bet you he could still do it at a pretty high clip.”

Garrett said he watched highlights of the Rams’ fabled “Fearsome Foursome,” led by Hall of Famers Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen during the Rams’ heyday in the 1960s when he was a high schooler. Garrett is now in a position to chase that high bar set by those four and others like Donald.

“I see a position to solidify myself here as well among the greats,” Garrett said. “I still have plenty of great years in front of me and being able to cement that legacy not only as a football city here in L.A., but as an individual [winning Defensive Player of the Year] for a Super Bowl and more. Those things are definitely pressing on my mind, and I have a bit of urgency to do it and do it right away.”

The Rams need Garrett at his best, and they might have to make sure he’s playing at a Defensive Player of the Year level right away. They have one of the toughest schedules in the league, starting with a season opener in Australia against their NFC West rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. That’s just the beginning of a five-game stretch that includes games at the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles, plus a home game against the Buffalo Bills. 

Garrett will have some help around him, at least, even as the Rams decided to let go of promising edge rusher Jared Verse. Byron Young, who led the team in sacks last season, will complement Garrett along the edge, while Los Angeles has a few other formidable players in the defensive interior (Kobie Turner, Poona Ford). Of course, the Rams also made a major swing to improve their secondary this offseason, giving up a handful of draft picks (including a first-rounder) for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie before signing his Kansas City Chiefs teammate, Jaylen Watson.

Still, Garrett will be the catalyst of the Rams’ defense, and McVay’s pleased to have the two-time Defensive Player of the Year leading that side of the ball. 

“He’s a pain in the ass to game plan against and I’m glad we don’t have to do that anymore,” McVay said. “He makes other guys around him better and I know he’s excited to come in and be a big part of this culture and we can’t wait to get to work.”