Rams' Myles Garrett hype train has officially run off the rails

The Los Angeles Rams have been very aggressive this offseason. Sensing a need to level up the defense for the playoffs, general manager Les Snead made major upgrades at multiple positions. The Rams kicked off the initial frenzy in March by trading for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and signing free agent cornerback Jaylen Watson.

Then, in the biggest blockbuster of the offseason, they sent Jared Verse and a king's ransom of picks to the Cleveland Browns for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett. In the aftermath, the same hype train that pulled away from the station has already run off the rails.

Talking "undefeated" before the pads go on is, frankly, a bit over the top:

I get it. To become relevant in the highly competitive sports media realm, being ridiculous often grabs the most attention. And what better way to steal the spotlight than to proclaim LA can go undefeated this season?

That said, let's tap the brakes on insanity, at least for now.

Myles Garrett will move the needle, but he won't bury it

The Rams obviously improved by adding Garrett, who joins McDuffie and Watson on the newly refurbished defense. Still, don't ignore the other half of the equation. Whether traded, lost to free agency, or simply sitting due to new starting rosters, subtractions from 2025 must be taken into account.

While the secondary now boasts two No. 1 corners, the depth behind them isn't great. Gone are Ahkello Witherspoon, Darious Williams, and Cobie Durant. Garrett steps into the roster spot vacated by Verse.

Even as rotational backups, not stars, the trio made noteworthy contributions. On the season, they compiled five interceptions and 17 pass deflections. No one is saying the cornerback room didn't improve. But it would be nice to have at least one more guy in the mix behind McDuffie and Watson.

Verse, a two-time Pro Bowler, recorded 7.5 sacks and 58 tackles in 2025. Pro Football Focus credits him with generating 80 total pressures. There is a reason the Rams fought so hard to keep him out of the deal, before finally conceding.

The defense should be much, much better. That's hardly going out on a limb. But let's not fool ourselves into thinking it will all be rainbows and sunshine, as Terron Armstead suggests.

As with many things, there will be inherent trade-offs that eat into the gains. Losing bodies on the depth chart and familiar faces in the defensive scheme will bring a learning curve of some kind.

That's okay. The ultimate goal of the regular season is simply to reach the playoffs with a high enough seeding and a healthy enough roster to win three or four games. Rams fans have every reason to be optimistic.

There comes a point, though, when optimism crosses over into delusion. Floating the idea of an undefeated season - more than that, expressing confidence in the possibility - qualifies as such.

As always, thanks for reading.

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