Garrett was a huge get for the Rams, even with Jared Verse gone as part of the trade. A one-man wrecking crew and the NFL’s one-year sack king, Garrett immediately elevates a defense that developed into a top-10 unit in points allowed in the 2025 campaign.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is just the tip of the iceberg, though.
Byron Young, LA’s leader last season with 12, is still on the other end. Curl, who helped propel the Rams to the NFC title game with an extension of the Bears’ Caleb Williams in the Division Bowl, will be on the prowl at second bolstered by two other notable signings.
Three months before the Rams traded a big package that included their 2027 first-round pick for Garrett, they gave the Chiefs their 2026 first-rounder in a package of picks for cornerback Trent McDuffie, an All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl winner. Los Angeles then signed McDuffie’s Kansas City teammate, cornerback Jaylen Watson.
It’s been a transition season for the Rams after coming one game shy of a Super Bowl berth.
Championships aren’t won this summer, and Curl rightly pointed out that it’s early, but all the pieces are in place for a dominant defensive run.