Should the Commanders try and trade for Myles Garrett

Evaluating all aspects of a potential deal for star DE Myles Garrett

Cleveland Browns star pass rusher Myles Garrett sent the media into a frenzy during the build up to the Super Bowl by publicly announcing a trade request. The situation with the Browns looks bleak with the Deshaun Watson trade and contract looking like a horrendous mistake that has set the franchise back years. At 29, Garrett now wants out to join a team with a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl. For the first time in decades, the Washington Commanders are one of the teams that can potentially offer that opportunity, largely thanks to quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Daniels ability on the field elevates the entire roster and gives them a chance to compete in ways the Commanders haven’t been able to in years. But his rookie contract also provides a lot of flexibility in being able to be aggressive and pursue a piece like Garrett. So let’s break down all aspects of this potential deal, including what Garrett would bring to Washington on the field, what a trade package might look like, what the potential obstacles to the deal are and if the total package makes sense for the Commanders.

On the field

This part is a no-brainer. On the field, Garrett is a monster. Listed at 6-foot-4, 272 pounds, Garrett has a large, long frame but is incredibly agile and explosive with it. Simply put, he’s the best pass rusher in the NFL and has been since he entered the league. Over his last four years, he’s amassed a total of 60 sacks, an average of 15 per season. That comes despite having one of the highest rates of double team blocks in the league. Offenses are constantly throwing chips at him, sliding the line his way and doing everything they can to try and get multiple sets of hands on him and it’s still not enough to stop him. He’s a dominant player that demands the offense build their game plan around him.

For Garrett, it starts with his explosiveness.

Here is a great example of just how explosive Garrett is. Garrett takes an incredibly wide alignment here, lining up almost two yards outside of the left tackle. That gives him a great angle of attack in an obvious passing situation. At the snap, Garrett explodes out of his stance and gets up the field in a hurry. He’s able to get to his third step before the left tackle has completed his second. Garrett also makes a subtle but important move on his third step. You can see he takes a big step inside with his third step, trying to threaten a move inside. This causes the tackle to just pause his slide outside for a moment as he considers having to adjust to an inside move.

After that step inside, Garrett then suddenly bursts back outside. The speed of the snap and the fake inside stutter gives the tackle a huge issue. He has to pause his feet for a moment and then open his hips to the sideline on his second step, exposing the edge to Garrett. That’s when Garrett shows his ability to dip and bend around the edge. Garrett dips his shoulder and gets under the outside shoulder of the left tackle. He then bends around the edge at a tight angle and has the strength to hold off the tackle as he does it. From there he closes quickly on the quarterback for the sack.

It’s very rare that teams allow Garrett the opportunity to work a pure one-on-one against a left tackle and that play is a perfect example of why. There aren’t many tackles in the league that can handle him consistently one-on-one without any help. So teams typically have to try and find ways to provide extra help. Even then, Garrett is incredibly hard to stop.

This time, the Chargers provide more obstacles for Garrett. First they have a fullback line up outside the left tackle as a potential chip threat. Then the Chargers use play-action, hoping the run fake will help slow Garrett down as he has to diagnose if it is a run or a pass. Finally, the Chargers also have a line slide to the left, so the left guard should be able to slide across and help out if needed. But Garrett makes all of that effort irrelevant.

Off the snap, he explodes up into the left tackle, immediately gaining a huge amount of leverage. He gets under the tackle, standing him up while landing both hands inside. With the tackle stacked up, Garrett can look into the backfield and check if the play is a run or pass. Once he spots the quarterback keeping the ball, he knows it’s a pass and transitions into pass rush mode. Garrett immediately takes advantage of his leverage, dropping his hands and dragging the tackle off balance as he shifts to rushing inside with an up and under move. He makes quick work of the tackle, so quick in fact that the left guard doesn’t have time to slide over and cut off the inside gap. The guard arrives late but can’t prevent Garrett from bursting through and getting another sack.

Garrett isn’t just a one-trick pony that wins with speed and explosiveness off the edge. He can win in a variety of ways. We’ve seen him win with speed off the edge, then a nice technique on an up-and-under there. He has the complete package and can win with speed, power or technique. He combines all of that with a relentless motor.