Rams don't need Myles Garrett to be what Browns reporter says he wasn't

The Los Angeles Rams vaulted to the top of the Super Bowl odds leaderboard immediately after trading for Myles Garrett. He is one of the few non-quarterbacks in the league who can move the market on his own. His arrival should put the Rams' pass rush among the best units in the NFL, if not ahead of everyone.

Acquiring Garrett meant, painfully, parting ways with Jared Verse, a young star in his own right who instantly won over his new fanbase. In fact, he gives the Cleveland Browns something Garrett did not, according to one team writer's report.

"While Garrett was respected and revered by his teammates, he wasn’t necessarily universally loved," said Mary Kary Cabot of Cleveland.com. "And while he evolved as a leader over the years, he wasn’t the great unifier the Browns always hoped he’d be, often keeping to his tight inner circle away from team headquarters." 

Verse, says Cabot, already looks like the galvanizing force the rebuilding Browns have long craved. Part of that is his energetic, outgoing nature. Good for Cleveland. They clearly need a leader. 

Garrett's abilities in that area are not of much concern to the Rams. The roster is well-stocked with veteran leaders at every position. The Rams just need Garrett to be a professional, which he has shown himself to be throughout his career. They brought him in for what he provides on the football field, which is detonating the opposition's gameplan and racking up sacks.

Garrett's Rams job description emphasizes leadership on the field

Matthew Stafford. Davante Adams. Tyler Higbee. Kevin Dotson. Poona Ford and Kobie Turner. Kam Curl and Quentin Lake. Trent McDuffie. 

Everywhere on the roster, the Rams have a strong leader holding down the fort.

They have more than enough leadership to anchor the ship. Garrett himself is a nine-year pro, but if making locker-room speeches and hosting team dinners aren't his thing, that's okay. This group doesn't need that. The Horns just need him to lead the charge in the pass rush, which is what he makes a living at. 

Garrett is, after all, coming off a single-season record 23 sacks. He accomplished that feat despite being featured on a Browns defense with little help to speak of. Propped up by Garrett, it was a solid unit overall, but there was no one else to distract offenses from throwing the kitchen sink, the dishwasher, and the refrigerator at Garrett. They threw the microwave and all the silverware at him, too.

He won't have that problem in Los Angeles. Sure, teams will still make him their primary point of focus in the pass rush. Overcommit to Garrett, however, and the offensive line will leave its quarterback at the mercy of Byron Young, Kobie Turner, and Braden Fiske.

Fiske could be poised for a breakout, and the other two combined for 19 sacks and 119 total pressures last year, per Pro Football Focus. Garrett's presence should benefit everyone else in a big way.

Where the Rams need Garrett leading is in the NFL's sacks and pressures leaderboards. What gets lost in the above claim, too, is the concession that Garrett has improved his leadership skills. That much was apparent on the field. Remember how the entire team came to congratulate him after he broke the sacks record? In every sense of the word, Garrett led that defense on the field. 

That's the aspect the Rams are most interested in. In every public appearance Garrett has made since joining the team, he has been articulate, humble, and quietly confident. Alongside his dominance on the gridiron, that's all they need from him, and then some. 

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