Myles to Go: Discussing the Garrett and Brown Trades

Over the past four years, Brown has 18 receiving touchdowns on 20+ air yard throws, ranking number one in the NFL in that stretch, demonstrating elite deep ball production.

Brown was unhappy in Philadelphia and the dismal fit between player and scheme was one of the worst-kept secrets in the league, contributing to the trade.

Drake May is a better passer than Jalen Hurts and on the short list for best deep ball throwers in the NFL, which should significantly improve Brown's production given his elite deep ball threat ability.

Brown is the best tight window receiver in the NFL over the last three years, ranking first in yards per route run, catches, and first downs on tight window throws—a perfect fit for Drake May's strengths.

Brown is likely motivated to prove skeptics wrong after the trade, similar to Stefan Diggs' trajectory when traded from Minnesota to Buffalo, potentially unlocking his best performance.

Brown's knee is something to monitor, and if the trade backfires, that would likely be the reason given his age (28) and injury history.

Brown will be receiving passes from either Jalen Hurts or Drake Maye, both of whom are ranked in the top five at quarterback.

Purdy was unbelievable for the last four or five games of the season, except when playing Seattle, making him a popular second-quarterback pairing option.

Byron Young is a very good young defensive player for the Rams who will benefit from playing alongside Myles Garrett and the elite pass rush group.

Lomu, the Patriots' first-round pick, has a pathway to being their sixth offensive lineman this year, which is fine given he's a really good player.

Lamb is preferred over George Pickens and is ranked inside the top 10 for wide receivers, offering more reliability despite both being ridiculously talented.

May was the best quarterback on tight window throws last year in precision pass rate, QBR, and completion percentage over expected, demonstrating elite accuracy in tight spaces.

May was excellent at tight window throws last season and is really good at throwing guys open, making him an ideal fit for AJ Brown's skill set.

In the postseason, May struggled against press coverage, going 4 for 17, with instances of receivers not getting open, suggesting the receiving group got exposed in the playoffs.

May is the truth as a quarterback and should be in the conversation for the first overall pick if starting a franchise, with potential for significant improvement in year three.

Maye is ranked either fourth or fifth at quarterback and will be throwing passes to A.J. Brown.

Pickens is ranked inside the top 10 for wide receivers and is part of a walking top-five offense with Dak Prescott.

Pickens comes with more risk than Lamb due to being on a contract year with the Cowboys, which creates incentive to sit out with minor injuries, and his history of three-game hot streaks followed by meltdowns.

Hurts is ranked either fourth or fifth at quarterback and will be throwing passes to A.J. Brown.

The analyst is rostering Jared Goff as one of his two quarterbacks and feels pretty good about the pairing.

Jared Verse was the biggest shock of the Myles Garrett trade, and at pick 19 he was one of the best-case scenarios for the Rams, making him well worth a first-round pick in the compensation.

Verse has a good floor as a rusher and is already elite as a run defender, ranking second only to Max Crosby in ESPN's run stop win metric over the last two years among edge rushers.

Verse is an elite pass rusher who has not yet reached his prime, with 10 fewer pressures than Garrett since entering the NFL but comparable elite production for a late first-round pick.

Verse is worth the trade compensation as a late first-round pick alternative, with three years of cost control remaining and a good floor as a rusher.

Baker was quite good during the regular season, especially against man coverage, and really emerged as a receiver, though the receiving group got exposed in the postseason.

Daniels is ranked as quarterback three, behind Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, with significant upside due to his rushing ability and superior passing talent compared to Kyler Murray.

Daniels will definitely be running a lot in general, and even a down year for him would likely include around 400 rushing yards, providing a strong fantasy floor.

Jalen Watson is a very good tackling corner acquired by the Rams who complements the Myles Garrett addition well, as Garrett's speed will force quarterbacks to get rid of the ball quickly into Watson's coverage.

Love is the one Cardinals player the analyst is not scared off by, implying he has standalone value despite the quarterback situation.

Allen is ranked as the number one quarterback in the analyst's rankings.

Jefferson is a 10th overall pick in the draft and should benefit from the upgrade at quarterback with Kyler Murray, who has had great chemistry with wide receiver ones in the past.

Jefferson was the single least enjoyable player to watch in fantasy football last season, finishing with only 824 yards despite being arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL.

Walker is projected to have a monster year with an estimated 280+ carries plus 50 touches, with no clear competition for the role despite the Seahawks drafting Emmett Johnson.

Walker was so clearly the guy the Seahawks wanted, and it feels like they wanted him as much as basically any team wanted a single player in free agency this offseason.

Walker is ranked around 12th overall and is expected to have a big year in the Chiefs offense.

Kobe Turner is a building block defensive player for the Rams who will benefit from playing alongside Myles Garrett, as the elite pass rusher will draw double teams and create opportunities for the rest of the defensive line.

Kyler is undeniably an upgrade at quarterback for the Cardinals, but there is concern about whether he can get his deep ball back, which has really fallen off.

Jackson is ranked as the number two quarterback in the analyst's rankings.

Willis is free in drafts, not being selected in the first 16 rounds of a 10-team ESPN league on average, making him a perfect late-round flier as a second quarterback option.

Willis can run the football effectively, which provides fantasy value despite the thin wide receiver room around him.

Matthew Stafford is the Rams' quarterback, and while some have raised concerns about what happens if he goes down, every team with a great quarterback faces similar injury risk.

Myles Garrett is literally first in every possible statistic and is the best defensive player in the NFL, making the Rams trade a clear upside and win for Los Angeles.

Garrett will be 33-34 years old in 2028-2029 when the Rams' draft capital runs out, and the team is going all-in on the current roster iteration in a short-termist approach, similar to their previous all-in move that resulted in a wretched season.

Garrett's contract is relatively cheap at $40 million per year, but he may request a raise given his elite performance, and the Rams were likely aware of this possibility before making the trade.

Garrett showed no signs of slowing down last season at age 30, with unbelievable quickness and production, and broke the single-season sack record with 23 sacks.

Garrett will benefit from playing for the Rams, who have a better surrounding defensive cast (Kobe Turner, Brayden Fisk, Byron Young) and will face more consequential games against strong opponents like Seattle and San Francisco twice yearly.

Garrett will get more opportunities to pin his ears back and rush with the Rams winning more frequently than the Browns, and every game will be consequential, unlike his time in Cleveland where the foot was off the pedal in blowout losses.

While Garrett will see fewer double teams with better surrounding talent on the Rams, he will also face the best of the best more consistently in consequential games, making it uncertain whether his stats will be decidedly more or less dominant than in Cleveland.

Garrett was the most chipped player in the league in recent years, second only to T.J. Watt last year, meaning other Rams defensive linemen will benefit significantly from his presence drawing double teams.

Garrett had the fastest get-off in all of football at 0.70 seconds according to Next Gen Stats, and the Rams' pass rush was more power-oriented with Jared Verse, lacking any player in the top 70 for get-off, so quarterbacks will have to get rid of the ball much quicker.

Garrett's absence from Browns voluntary activities became noticeable—he attended Cavs playoff games while skipping Browns offseason work, signaling his dissatisfaction with the team.

Garrett's frustrations about playing for a losing team did not go away, and the Browns aren't expected to win meaningfully this year, setting up another potential departure next offseason with Garrett a year older.

Similar to TJ Watt's trajectory, Garrett may be past his peak performance level, with some people feeling his best years were a couple of years ago.

Mahomes had a pedestrian year in many ways but finished in the top eight scoring eight times out of 14 games played due to his rushing ability, demonstrating the value of a running quarterback.

Dobbs is a phenomenal number two receiver who will benefit from AJ Brown's presence on the field, allowing the entire receiving room to work better.

Diggs was traded from Minnesota to Buffalo and immediately was motivated to prove everybody wrong, recording 444 catches over the next four seasons.

Trent McDuffie is a very good tackling corner acquired by the Rams who complements the Myles Garrett addition well, as Garrett's speed will force quarterbacks to get rid of the ball quickly into McDuffie's coverage.

Trevor Lawrence was especially great for the last eight games of the season, making him one of the more popular quarterback pairings in mock drafts this offseason.

McBride is one of the analyst's all-time favorites, and he is desperately hoping that McBride can still thrive despite the Cardinals' quarterback situation.

Ty Simpson was the Rams' draft pick, and whether it was a good selection won't be known until he plays; the decision to take a quarterback despite trading for Myles Garrett is defensible given uncertainty about receiver and offensive tackle performance.