49ers fans shouldn't panic about Rams' blockbuster Myles Garrett deal

It'd be really easy for any San Francisco 49ers fans to press the panic button right now.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Los Angeles Rams finalised a trade with the Cleveland Browns for All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett, giving up Jared Verse and several picks, including a first-rounder, in exchange:

That's L.A.'s latest all-in move in what's been a whirlwind offseason, and landing someone like Garrett is without doubt, a huge narrative-shifter. After all, you're probably talking about the best pass-rusher in the league, and its not often you get chance to acquire someone who's a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. When you add that to Los Angeles' other blockbuster move in acquiring former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, it's clear the Niners' NFC West rivals are chasing the Super Bowl at almost any cost.

That said, the 49ers shouldn't panic.

I know, I know, I've been an advocate of exactly that, particularly earlier in the offseason when the Rams had just finalised the McDuffie deal. But the 49ers have improved since then, and honestly, had a pretty great free agency and draft.

They managed to retain Trent Williams, brought in Mike Evans, and had a solid draft that should reinvigorate the roster. As someone who bangs the drum for offensive line reinforcement constantly, I was pleased to see that came to pass, too. The Niners are undoubtedly a better team than they were last season, and the games haven't even started yet.

However, on the note of the actual Garrett deal itself, yes, it's worrying; as I already said, having one of the game's top defensive players is an issue. However, the Rams traded one of the best defensive players in the game to get him, Verse, and he's five years younger than Garrett and didn't cost extra picks.

That doesn't honestly make much sense to me, and the 49ers had plenty of trouble with Verse. Seeing the back of him doesn't hurt San Francisco at all.

As for Garrett, he's an excellent player, but I don't see the Rams getting more than two or three years of him at his peak, making it a massive heave and push of chips to the centre of the table. Perhaps the short-term outlook doesn't bother the Rams, given that both upcoming cap crunches and their potentially small operating window (particularly looking at the winding down of the career of quarterback Matthew Stafford) could mean a rebuild happens soon.

Hence a move that cries out: Win, and win now, at all costs. That adds a ton of pressure to the Rams' season, and in all honesty, seems incongruous with other moves L.A. has made, such as choosing to take a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft, Ty Simpson, which is unlikely to move the needle. It smacks of an organisation not quite sure of itself, and it feels very much like a potential disaster if the Rams don't win the Super Bowl.

Which is also good news, albeit long term, for San Francisco.

When it comes down to it, though, all the catastrophising about the future comes down to one simple truth: The Rams will need to face down both the Niners and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West first, and possibly in the playoffs, before reaching this goal they've expensively assembled this roster for.

And while L.A. can quite easily point to the recent past to say it's worked before, all 49ers fans should know, achingly painfully, that it was only by a sliver. Indeed, if Jaquiski Tartt had any idea how to catch a football back in January of 2022, it's quite likely we'd be looking at this as the second desperation heave of the Rams under head coach Sean McVay to potentially no avail.

And no one knows how to lose to Kyle Shanahan like McVay.

The 49ers have the roster, the coach, and the ability to win in big situations that should worry any team. Their rivals can add as many players as they want, but in the games that truly matter, I'd still give the Niners a pretty good chance of coming out on top. Garrett's a challenge, sure, but so were the likes of Micah Parsons, Aidan Hutchinson, Aaron Rodgers, and many others in the past. The 49ers came through those challenges, and if anything, the lack of belief in them by the wider NFL world made it sweeter.

So, don't panic just yet.

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