Myles Garrett is finally back on the field for the Los Angeles Rams after a brief training camp scare, while Jared Verse is settling into his new role in Cleveland. Two months after the trade that sent them in opposite directions, both are shaping up to be exactly what their new teams hoped for.
Myles Garrett Returns to Rams Practice After Camp Absence
Garrett missed four straight practices in early August with what the team described as lower body soreness. Head coach Sean McVay called it a precaution rather than a real concern, and Garrett was back running with the defense by Tuesday.
The absence barely dented the excitement in Los Angeles. Garrett’s first padded practice with his new team drew rave reviews, including from cornerback Trent McDuffie, who said you can “feel his aura” on the field. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula said the sight of Garrett at defensive end “definitely lived up to” the hype the trade created.
That hype has real numbers behind it. Garrett set the NFL’s all-time single-season sack record with 23 in 2025, and he enters his age-31 season as a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time Pro Bowler. The Rams are betting his arrival turns an already loaded roster into a legitimate Super Bowl favorite.
Jared Verse Is Building His Own Identity in Cleveland
Verse has embraced the challenge of replacing a legend rather than shrinking from it. He has talked openly about wanting to establish a “Jared Verse defense” in Cleveland, pointing to teammates like Alex Wright, Mike Hall, Carson Schwesinger, and Quincy Williams as pieces he can build around.
He has also leaned on advice from established pass rushers Maxx Crosby and Von Miller as he works to fill the void Garrett left behind. Verse is coming off a 7.5-sack season with the Rams and enters his third year already a two-time Pro Bowler.
Cleveland’s bigger question marks sit elsewhere. Todd Monken is running his first training camp as head coach, and the quarterback competition between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson remains the more pressing storyline for a team most analysts don’t expect to be highly competitive this season.
What the Trade Means for Fantasy and Betting Purposes
For fantasy managers in leagues that reward individual defensive stats, Garrett remains a premium sack-prop target given his track record and a Rams defense with fewer weaknesses to hide behind. Some analysts have floated the idea that a full season inside a contending defense could push him toward another 20-sack campaign, even if matching last year’s record-setting pace is a tall order behind a deeper Rams front.
Verse is the more speculative dynasty stash. He won’t match Garrett’s ceiling in Year 1 with Cleveland, but a clear path to be the Browns’ primary edge rusher gives him real opportunity to build on his career-best season from a year ago.
Both players are healthy and on track for Week 1. How the trade grades out will depend less on training camp buzz and more on whether Los Angeles turns Garrett’s arrival into a championship run, and whether Cleveland’s draft haul pays off the way the front office is betting it will.
