Rams' Garrett Trade Tops 2026 NFL Offseason Impact Rankings
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- Myles Garrett tops the Year 1 impact ranking after being traded to the Los Angeles Rams; he was the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year and set the single-season sack record with 23.
- A.J. Brown lands at No. 2 in a trade to New England, giving quarterback Drake Maye a true No. 1 receiver who topped 1,000 receiving yards in all four of his Eagles seasons.
- Trey Hendrickson signs with Baltimore at No. 5 after the Maxx Crosby deal to the Ravens fell through on a failed physical; he posted a league-high 17.5 sacks and 65 pressures in a full 2024 season.
- Kyler Murray signs with Minnesota (No. 6) to run Kevin O'Connell's play-action system with Justin Jefferson as a matchup target; he is one of five QBs ever with 20,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in their first seven seasons.
- Mike Evans signs with San Francisco (No. 13) as the boundary "X" receiver for Brock Purdy, extending a streak of 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons that ties Jerry Rice's career record.
- Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, signs with Kansas City (No. 17), bringing 33 rushes of 10-plus yards (sixth-most leaguewide in 2025) to a backfield that ranked in the bottom half of the league at 4.2 yards per carry.
- Jared Verse lands at No. 16 after being traded to Cleveland as part of the package returning Garrett to the Rams; the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year had 12.5 sacks and 99 pressures in two Rams seasons.
Why it matters: The Rams' three-player haul (Garrett, Trent McDuffie at No. 3, and Jaylen Watson at No. 18) gives coordinator Chris Shula a 23-sack edge rusher plus sticky man-coverage corners, the most concentrated defensive transformation on the list. Across the top 15, six of the additions are receivers, pass-rushers, or backs added to elevate specific quarterbacks — Drake Maye, Kyler Murray, Brock Purdy, Josh Allen, and Bo Nix all gained a new top target.
