With quarterback Deshaun Watson out for the year and the Cleveland Browns likely out of the playoff picture with a 1-6 record, star edge-rusher Myles Garrett could find himself playing for a new team for the right price.
Garrett, a five-time All-Pro and the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is the kind of franchise-changing player any team serious about making a deep playoff run would sell the farm to acquire, but the question that needs answered is will Cleveland’s asking price be too high?
If the Browns accept an offer within reason, there’s already reportedly a number of teams lining up to make a run at the former No. 1 overall pick, and Sports Illustrated’s Evan Massey recently proposed a trade that would land Garret with the 4-2 Chicago Bears.
“Chicago acquiring Garrett would instantly make them a much more serious contender in the NFC,” Massey wrote. “He would bring elite help to the pass-rush and would take the defense to the next level. With an offense that has shown signs of being very dangerous, the impact that Garrett would make on the defense would make them a team to watch for years to come.”
The 28-year-old Garrett, who ranks 13th in the NFL in hurries (19), 15th in pressures (27) and 18th in sacks (four), would be a clear upgrade over the group of pass-rushers the Bears currently have.
Chicago has gotten solid production out of defensive tackle Gervon Dexter (18 pressures, seven hurries, four sacks) and defensive end Montez Sweat (18 pressures, 15 hurries, 2.5 sacks), but pairing Garrett with Sweat coming off the edge would instantly add legitimacy to the team’s front seven and give the team one of the top pass-rush units in the NFC.
Chicago currently is a middle-to-the-road team in terms of pressuring the quarterback — the team ranks 14th with 18 sacks — and acquiring a player the caliber of Garrett, who has two more years left on his contract, wouldn’t just be an all-in move for this season but one that signals the Bears are serious contenders for years to come.
