Garrett was a gargantuan get for the Rams, even considering Jared Verse‘s departure as part of the trade. A one-man wrecking crew and the NFL’s single-season sack king, Garrett immediately elevates a defense that developed into a top-10 unit in points allowed during the 2025 campaign.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is just the tip of the iceberg, though.
Byron Young, L.A.’s sack leader last season with 12, still resides on the other edge. Curl, who helped propel the Rams to the NFC title game with an overtime interception of the Bears’ Caleb Williams in the Divisional Round, will be roaming a secondary bolstered by two other notable acquisitions.
Three months before the Rams traded a hefty package that included their 2027 first-round pick for Garrett, they gave the Chiefs their 2026 first-rounder in a package of picks for cornerback Trent McDuffie, an All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl winner. Los Angeles then signed McDuffie’s Kansas City teammate, corner Jaylen Watson.
It’s been a transformative period for the Rams after coming up one game shy of a Super Bowl berth.
Championships aren’t won in the summer, and Curl rightfully pointed out it’s early, but all the pieces are in place to make a dominant defensive run.
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