Buffalo Called for Myles Garrett — but the Rams Had the One Piece Cleveland Couldn't Ignore
GOATIFYThe Buffalo Bills spent much of the past two years keeping one of the NFL's biggest defensive dreams alive: if Myles Garrett ever became available, they wanted to be in the conversation. That conversation apparently lasted right up to the day Cleveland finally moved him. Buffalo checked in again on June 1, only to learn that Los Angeles had assembled a package the Bills were not positioned to match.
The detail matters because it reframes one of the offseason's defining trades. Garrett did not simply land with the Rams because they were willing to surrender premium picks. Cleveland's willingness to move the reigning Defensive Player of the Year changed when Los Angeles put Jared Verse into the deal. The young pass rusher gave the Browns a replacement building block on a rookie contract, while the draft package gave them long-term flexibility.
For Buffalo, the miss is less about an unwillingness to chase a star than about the type of asset required to close the deal. The Bills could discuss picks. What they could not easily offer was a young edge defender with Verse's profile, production and contractual runway. That distinction helps explain why the talks never developed into the kind of bidding war that could have changed Garrett's destination.
Buffalo was still calling when the Garrett deal broke
Buffalo's interest was not a last-minute reaction. The Bills had reportedly checked on Garrett's availability periodically for roughly two years, a logical habit for a contender that has repeatedly searched for more game-changing pressure off the edge. When Cleveland finally reached the point of seriously discussing a trade, Buffalo was still close enough to the situation to make another call.
Los Angeles, however, had a different kind of leverage. The Rams were prepared to send Cleveland Verse along with a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder. Verse had already won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 and made two Pro Bowls in his first two seasons. Just as important for Cleveland, his contract remained inexpensive relative to an established star, with team control extending through the rookie-deal structure.
That is the part of the trade that makes the Bills' position understandable. Matching draft capital is one problem; matching the combination of draft capital and an ascending pass rusher is another. Buffalo's edge room did not contain an obvious Verse equivalent that could be detached from the roster without creating the same hole the Garrett trade was supposed to solve.
Jared Verse was the asset Cleveland could not ignore
Cleveland's stance had been firm enough that an ordinary picks-only offer was not necessarily going to move the conversation. Verse changed the shape of the proposal. Rather than simply cashing out a superstar for future lottery tickets, the Browns could immediately replace a major piece of their defensive front while adding premium selections behind him. For a team giving up a player who had just set an NFL single-season record with 23 sacks, that kind of bridge from the present to the future was unusually valuable.
The Rams were willing to pay it because Garrett changes the geometry of an entire defense. He enters Los Angeles after a 2025 season in which he led the league with those 23 sacks, and he carries 125.5 career sacks into his first year with the Rams. Offenses already had to account for the rest of a deep Los Angeles front; now the most destructive edge defender in football becomes the first problem on every protection plan.
The timing also adds another layer. Garrett is set to make his Rams debut in the season opener against San Francisco in Melbourne, while Aaron Donald's return is being handled more cautiously and will not include Week 1. Los Angeles did not make the Garrett trade as a luxury purchase. It made the deal to establish a new defensive centerpiece immediately, with the possibility of an even more intimidating front once Donald is fully ready to return.
Buffalo chose a different way to rebuild its pass rush
Buffalo's response since missing on Garrett has been more distributed. Rather than surrendering a Verse-level young player plus multiple premium picks, the Bills built their new front around several additions and a schematic reset under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Bradley Chubb is the most recognizable veteran piece. Buffalo signed him after his release from Miami, adding a player who produced 8.5 sacks in 2025 and who already understands the demands of a 3-4 structure. The Bills also used their top selection in the 2026 draft on Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker. Greg Rousseau remains part of the group, with players being used more flexibly as outside linebackers and edge rushers in Leonhard's system.
That plan is not as spectacular as adding Garrett, but it may be more sustainable. Buffalo finished near the bottom of the league in pass-rush win rate last season, so the problem was broader than finding one famous name. Leonhard's front is designed to change alignments, create pressure from different launch points and give the defense more answers than simply asking one player to win every obvious passing down.
The gamble is that the collective can generate enough disruption when games become condensed and quarterbacks have time to diagnose pressure. Garrett is the kind of player who can erase a clean protection call by winning anyway. Buffalo's version requires Chubb to remain healthy and productive, Parker to develop quickly, Rousseau to thrive in the adjusted front and the scheme itself to create favorable matchups.
There is also no need to pretend the Bills were wrong to stop short. Trading for Garrett would have carried an enormous acquisition price on top of the financial commitment required for an elite veteran. Contenders have to decide not only whether a superstar improves them, but whether the roster left behind after the trade is actually stronger. Los Angeles had the depth, the appetite and the young asset Cleveland wanted. Buffalo did not have to imitate that structure simply because it admired the player.
The missed deal will still follow both teams into the season because the schedule provides a direct comparison. Buffalo is due to visit Los Angeles in Week 5 on October 12. By then, the Bills should have a clearer read on whether their redesigned pass rush can pressure quarterbacks consistently, while the Rams should know how quickly Garrett has transformed their defense and whether Donald is ready to join the rotation.
That game cannot retroactively decide whether Buffalo should have paid more. Team-building choices are bigger than one afternoon. But it will make the contrast impossible to ignore: the Bills facing the superstar they chased, the Rams showing off the player they paid heavily to acquire, and Cleveland moving forward with Verse as the young centerpiece that unlocked the entire transaction.
For now, the most revealing part of the story is that Buffalo was there at the end. The Bills recognized the opportunity, made the call and explored the price. The Rams simply possessed the asset Cleveland valued most. In blockbuster NFL trades, desire is rarely enough. Sometimes the winning offer is defined by the one player the other bidder cannot replace.
