Early on last week, the Cleveland Browns sent Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, signaling how the group was going to cash in on its best asset. For Browns fans, it was no fun to see perhaps the best defensive end of a generation and, currently, the best defensive player in football, go out the door.Â
On the plus side, Cleveland did get a really nice haul for Garrett, though, with three picks being involved in the deal and the Browns netting Jared Verse. Verse is an emerging young pass rusher who is just scratching the surface, and he appears to have the makings of a young, emotional leader for Cleveland. Andrew Berry and company did well in the trade, all things considered.Â
Even still, it will be difficult for the Dawg Pound to watch Garrett in a different uniform. Garrett was unbelievable over the course of his nine seasons with Cleveland, and from Los Angeles’ perspective, he’s likely the piece that makes them the favorite to win Super Bowl LXI.
Along those lines, Adam Gosbard of the Los Angeles Daily News and Orange County Register mentioned recently how the Rams are the first team to go into a season with both the reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. This had to be what the Browns believed could be the best-case scenario when they acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson to pair with Garrett back in 2022, though that clearly didn't happen.
Rams living out the Myles Garrett dream Browns only envisioned upon swinging big for Deshaun Watson
While the Browns are re-tooling and focused on getting young players valuable reps this season, or appear to be, as they should, the Rams are once again among the game’s elite. Going into a season as the odds-on favorite to win a championship is going to feel completely different for Garrett.Â
Garrett was phenomenal in his time with Cleveland; one cannot dispute that. But over that time, the perennial All-Pro played in only three playoff games, and the Browns won just eight games over the past two seasons. This upcoming season, by comparison, he’ll be on a bona fide contender and Rams squad that's fully going for it as standout signal-caller Matthew Stafford looks to win another title with them.
Despite having what seemed to be a Hall of Fame-level career before it, Stafford probably had his best season to date last year. He threw 46 touchdowns and only eight interceptions and took home MVP honors for his efforts. He was tremendous in the playoffs as well, and was surely not the reason they lost a tight one in the NFC Championship to the eventual Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks.
From Garrett’s standpoint, it has to be refreshing to have elite play at football's most important position. Even with Garrett breaking the NFL record for single-season sacks with 23 in 2025, the Browns only mustered five wins. Needless to say, there’s only so much an elite pass rusher can do when his club’s offense is so inconsistent, even if it's painted positively.
Back when the Browns swung their blockbuster deal to acquire Deshaun Watson, they had to be envisioning having a potential near- or MVP-caliber player. Watson did show tons of ability in his previous stint with the Houston Texans, when he made three Pro Bowls in his first four years in the NFL. He led the league in passing in 2020 as well and was a bright spot for them in a rough campaign. In his time with Houston, he posted 14,539 passing yards and tossed 104 touchdowns.Â
Unfortunately, in his time with Cleveland, Watson has not come close to playing like the performer of yore. Over the last three seasons, he's only appeared in 13 total games because of injuries, missed all of last season after re-tearing his Achilles shortly after the 2024 campaign, and when he has been available, hasn't been all that effective.
Watson has not been hitting chunk plays nearly as much as we saw with Houston, and while offensive line inconsistencies haven't always helped, he hasn't seen the field well or looked as sharp with his ball placement. His completion rate with Cleveland has been 61.8 percent, with an 80.7 passer rating, and his sack rate has been 11.2 percent.
It hasn't been what Cleveland was hoping for when they mortgaged their future for Watson, to say the least. They handed him the largest fully guaranteed contract in league history at $230 million over five seasons after giving up three first-round picks and two other picks for his services (or lack thereof).
Simply put, it’s safe to say despite the Browns hoping the Watson move would pay dividends and make Cleveland contenders for a number of years following the deal, it has just not worked. He has been injured often, already had tons of off the field allegations coming into his time with the Browns all had to factor in, and when he has been on the field, he’s not been close to as dynamic as Cleveland would’ve hoped for.
For reference, Cleveland's playoff appearance in 2023 came when Watson was sidelined much earlier that season for the year with a shoulder injury; Cleveland was 5-1 in his starts that year, but nobody would've said Watson was lighting it up.
Whether or not Watson or Shedeur Sanders enters the 2026 season as Cleveland's starting QB, it's tough for fans to have high expectations for the coming year.
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