4 winners (and 5 big losers) from the Browns' bittersweet Myles Garrett trade

Now 72 hours removed from one of the most massive trades in NFL history, no one seems to know how to feel. Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry sounded business-like, as usual. Head coach Todd Monken sounded relieved. The fan base has already been pulled every which way, from utter disbelief to gearing up to rally around one of the youngest teams in the league with hopes of better days ahead.

There’s no glossing over the seismic nature of trading Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. The Browns’ haul in return was massive, anchored by one of the game’s most exciting young edge defenders in Jared Verse. Cleveland also received three draft picks for the future in this deal, though the overall value of those selections that are spread out over the next three years is fair to question.

As tantalizing of a talent as Verse is, there is only one Myles Garrett. His impact on the game dwarfs the analytical stats and trends that already have some fans dismissing how much the move will really impact the roster in 2026. That harsh reality will likely be felt early in 2026 as the Browns face the sharpest teeth of their schedule. The Browns won a game against Pittsburgh last year because Aaron Rodgers refused to get sacked by Garrett. There's a voodoo nature to his presence that affected opponents in the week leading up to the games, not just on Sundays.

Like any trade of this magnitude, there are winners and losers abound, and the Browns had their fair share. At the end of the day, this was a bittersweet move that both crushed Cleveland's upcoming 2026 season well before it began, while also offering hope for the future.

The Myles Garrett trade brought hope for tomorrow and heartbreak for today

Winner: Myles Garrett

This trade has been carefully framed as a Browns decision, and not another Garrett demand. The Rams were all-in on landing Garrett, and once they agreed to include Verse in the deal, Cleveland’s interest was piqued.

But let’s be very clear here: If Myles Garrett was all-in on winning a Super Bowl for Cleveland and retiring as a Brown, he would still be in Berea. He didn’t want the Joe Thomas ending, and that's perfectly fair. He was clearly ready to move on, and landing in Los Angeles with the now obvious Super Bowl favorites represented a dream scenario.

Loser: Todd Monken

Monken came to Cleveland eager to start building a program and winning culture from Day 1, but he never had the support of the best and most influential player in his locker room. That makes for a tough situation.

The Browns will never admit it, but the Garrett trade signals a clear shift. They attacked free agency with a flurry of win-now moves, signing both Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins. The decision to then turn around and trade the game’s best defensive player spins this whole thing in the other direction.

Cleveland should still be competitive this season, as its roster is stocked with young talent. The Browns will face plenty of teams in its weight class in 2026. But a major improvement from last year’s five-win season? That was on the table prior to the Garrett trade, but the Browns feel much closer to landing another top-five pick in the draft than a playoff berth.

Winner: Also Todd Monken

Speaking of Monken — he seemed like a coach who just had a massive weight lifted off his shoulders on Wednesday. 

Monken basically declined comment on Garrett, saying only that he’s excited about what’s to come next with Verse and the team’s future draft picks. He praised Verse’s dedication to show up early and get right to practice, perhaps a subtle shot at Garrett, who not only passed on attending any of Monken’s voluntary workouts, but also passed on a proper meeting, handshake, or FaceTime call.

Monken’s relationship with Garrett seems to be about the same as it was when he was the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens — nonexistent. His roster just took a massive hit, but at least one of the biggest headaches of his first four months on the job finally has a resolution.

Loser: The Dawg Pound

There’s no sugar coating it. This was a brutal week for Browns fans. Blockbuster trades happen all the time in sports, but it’s rare for them to happen in Year 1 of a regime change, after the team was clearly building some positive momentum after free agency and the draft. 

The Dawg Pound may now have to embrace a longer-term view. The Browns have four consecutive home games, sandwiched around a Week 11 bye, on this year’s schedule. Prior to the Garrett trade, there was a real chance that stretch could have set the stage for some meaningful games down the stretch. 

With the quarterback position still in flux and the team relinquishing its cheat code on defense, the discourse around those 2026 home games could become more about draft positioning than establishing a winning culture in a vulnerable AFC North.

Winner: Andrew Berry’s ‘timeline’

Berry’s been on a heater lately, and the Garrett trade could end up being his defining moment. If Verse pans out, and Cleveland can leverage its two 2027 first-round picks into a franchise quarterback, the Browns’ GM will come out of this smelling like roses.

Between Monday’s whopper and the Browns’ blockbuster Travis Hunter deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2025 draft, Berry has collected a haul that includes Verse, Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, KC Concepcion, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick.

Couple that with a 2025 draft class that also produced game-changers like Carson Schwesinger and Harold Fannin Jr., and it’s easy to love what the Browns have going — as long as you’re willing to be patient. 

Loser: Jared Verse

Verse said all the right things during his introductory presser in Berea on Wednesday. He came off like the kind of leader Monken and the Browns desperately need right now. 

He also admitted to being upset at first about leaving his teammates in L.A., and it’s hard to blame him. He’s coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons and was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024. He was likely focused on being a major factor in the Rams’ quest for a Super Bowl this season while setting himself up for a massive extension in 2027.

Instead, he’s now in Cleveland preparing to help an extremely young Browns team take the next step in what could be a years-long rebuild. It was a wild week for the 25-year-old but, again, he made an excellent first impression. The Browns clearly got a good one.

Winner: Rams fans

This one kind of goes without saying, right? The Rams were already among the 2026 Super Bowl favorites. Now? They may end up entering Week 1 as one of the largest betting favorites in recent memory.

The Rams are the first team in NFL history to roster both the reigning league MVP in Matthew Stafford and the Defensive Player of the Year in Garrett. They still have excellent young pieces in place like wide receiver Puka Nacua and edge Byron Young, too.

Oh, and now Aaron Donald is contemplating a return? And the Super Bowl will be played at SoFi Stadium this year? 

It’s hard to quantify how many die-hard Rams fans actually exist out in L.A., but wherever they are, they’re on cloud nine right now.

Losers: Alex Wright, Mason Graham, and the Browns’ defensive line

Alex Wright quipped — actually, he probably wasn’t joking — that he needed a drink after reading Adam Schefter’s breaking news tweet on Monday. He then had to report to practice the next day as one of the Browns’ more forgotten veterans who will need to step up most this year.

Guys like Wright, Graham, and even veteran Maliek Collins benefitted greatly from the attention Garrett drew on a snap-by-snap basis. How much that will change with Verse taking Garrett’s spot remains to be seen, but the Browns have a lot of returning players on their D-line from last year, and they’ll be put to the test from Week 1.

Losers: Sam Darnold (and every other quarterback on the Rams’ 2026 slate)

There have been a lot of takes out there on the Garrett trade, but almost nobody expects the game’s premier pass rusher to struggle under the bright lights.

In prime-time games alone, Garrett and the Rams are scheduled to face Brock Purdy, Jaxon Dart, Bo Nix, Josh Allen, Jordan Love, Patrick Mahomes, and Sam Darnold. The Rams were second in the NFL in scramble percentage and ninth in sack percentage in 2025, per SumerSports, and just added Garrett to a defense that still features Young, Kobie Turner, and Poona Ford.

Oh, and they also added cornerback Trent McDuffie to the secondary via another blockbuster trade with the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason. The Browns will host Garrett and the Rams in 2027, but until then, every other team and quarterback can enjoy what has become a fantasy-football-esque defense on paper.

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