Myles Garrett Says Rams’ Defense Gives Him More Freedom to Hunt

Myles Garrett is two months into life as a Los Angeles Ram, and he’s already noticing a different vibe on the practice field. The star pass rusher, acquired from Cleveland in a June blockbuster that sent Jared Verse and three draft picks back to the Browns, says head coach Sean McVay’s defensive staff is giving him a longer leash than he had in his nine seasons with the Browns.

Speaking with reporters during training camp, Garrett was asked directly whether he feels more “freedom” running McVay’s defense. He didn’t hesitate. According to ClutchPoints, which cited reporting from ESPN’s Sarah Barshop, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year described a coaching staff that’s trusting him to play on instinct rather than boxing him into a rigid system.

“Not being punished or critiqued for trying to make a play,” Garrett said, describing the defensive environment in Los Angeles. “There’s guidelines and boundaries you got to stay within in the defense, but as long as we put ourselves in the right spots, they’re all for it.”

What the Trade Brought the Rams

Los Angeles gave up a lot to get here. Per Pro Football Rumors, the Rams sent Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder to Cleveland for Garrett back on June 1 — a post-June 1 trade date that eased the Browns’ cap hit while locking Los Angeles into Garrett’s contract through 2030.

It was the first time in NFL history a team successfully traded for a reigning Defensive Player of the Year, according to the same report. Garrett arrives fresh off a 2025 season in which he set the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23. He’s the only player in the league to post double-digit sacks in each of the past eight seasons.

Now he’s learning a new scheme, working alongside defensive coordinator Chris Shula, and by his own account, playing with fewer restrictions than he had in Cleveland’s system.

Why the Freedom Matters

Elite pass rushers live and die by instinct. A half-second of hesitation — second-guessing a gap, worrying about a coaching correction if a play doesn’t work out — is often the difference between a sack and a stalemate. Garrett’s comments suggest Shula’s defense is built to let him play fast first and clean up details second, rather than the other way around.

That’s a notable shift for a defense that no longer has Aaron Donald collapsing pockets from the interior. Donald retired after the 2023 season, and Los Angeles hasn’t fully replaced that kind of disruptive force up front. Garrett won’t play the same role Donald did — Donald wrecked games from the interior, Garrett does it off the edge — but unleashing a proven, disciplined veteran to attack rather than read-and-react is the Rams’ clearest answer yet to that hole in the pass rush.

The bigger context here: Los Angeles has been aggressive all offseason. The team also traded for cornerback Trent McDuffie and signed Jaylen Watson in free agency, building a roster clearly aimed at a Super Bowl run in 2026 around MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford.

By the Numbers

Training camp is still early, and preseason reps will be the first real test of how much Shula’s scheme actually changes Garrett’s game on the field. But if his own read on the culture holds up once the games count, NFC West offensive lines have a new problem on their hands.