The Dallas Cowboys had interest in former Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett, and missing the opportunity will bring double the trouble in 2026.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Los Angeles Rams have traded for Garrett. Los Angeles will send edge Jared Verse and three future draft picks to the Browns.
Dallas will face the Rams in Week 15, and Los Angeles looks poised to be a major NFC contender in 2026. The Rams made the NFC Championship Game last season with quarterback Matthew Stafford producing an MVP season.
Los Angeles now has an all-time elite defensive star again, and the Rams won a Super Bowl that way in the 2021 season with former defensive end Aaron Donald. There’s also speculation that Donald could come out of retirement to join forces with Garrett in Los Angeles.
While there’s training camp and months of football ahead before Week 15, the Cowboys can clearly circle the Rams game as a pivotal one. Dallas hasn’t played the Rams since the 2023 season, and the Cowboys have won three of the past four meetings.
The Cowboys won 43-20 in 2023, but this Rams defense will boast a much more challenging unit with Garrett. A two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Garrett has posted at least 14 sacks annually since 2021, and he had 23 sacks in 2025.
Dallas beat a Garrett-led Browns team 33-17 to open the 2024 season, but the Browns didn’t have a quarterback the caliber of Stafford.
Silver Linings For Cowboys Amid Myles Garrett News
Dallas will have a bye week before the Dec. 20 game against the Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
That will give the Cowboys a late-season chance to rest and heal up before a game that could have major playoff implications. The Cowboys will be coming off big games against the past two Super Bowl champions — the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 26 and the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 7.
Dallas has a three-game gauntlet with those contenders, and it doesn’t get much easier after the Rams. The Cowboys host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 27, and the Jaguars won the AFC South and made the playoffs last year. The remaining two games include key NFC East rivals in the New York Giants at home on Jan. 3 and the Washington Commanders on the road for Jan. 10.
New York notably brought back old Cowboys nemesis and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Monday. However, that’s little in comparison to Garrett, joining the Rams in his prime.
Another silver lining for the Cowboys regarding Garrett includes the fact that he hasn’t dominated in two career games against Dallas. Garrett has four tackles and three sacks in those games.
Myles Garrett Trade Too Familiar For Cowboys
Cleveland sending Garrett to the Rams in exchange for a former Pro Bowler and draft picks looks quite familiar for the Cowboys.
Dallas did a similar trade last year with the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys sent star linebacker Micah Parsons to the Packers in exchange for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks.
Browns fans will hope the Garrett trade turns out better for their team right away than the Cowboys trade did. Dallas became the worst defense in the league last season without Parsons.
