There’s no way to sugarcoat how the Los Angeles Rams landing Myles Garrett in a trade with the Cleveland Browns makes things harder for the San Francisco 49ers.
However, the Niners could do something hilarious to spite the Rams that would also help San Francisco in a huge way.
In order to get Garrett, the Rams had to trade their promising young edge rusher, Jared Verse, to Cleveland. Verse is just 25 years old, but he’s now gone from playing for a perennial contender in the Rams to playing for one of the worst teams in the NFL in the Browns.
Does he really want to be in that situation? Wouldn’t he rather go to an NFC West team and make the Rams regret ever giving him up?
General manager John Lynch should kick the tires on that with the Browns and see if it’s a possibility.
Cleveland would almost certainly not trade Verse before the season. It's general manager, Andrew Berry, has said he views him as a foundational piece on the Browns defensive line. That’s all well and good, but if the Browns are 2-6 at the trade deadline, and the Niners make them an offer they can’t refuse, then maybe that could lead to a deal.
A midseason trade is probably the most feasible option for any 49ers edge rusher target. It seems like making a splash before the season for Verse, Maxx Crosby, or Kayvon Thibodeaux would be nearly impossible, so patience is probably the best approach, so the 49ers can see if they truly are contenders and which teams actually are sellers in the middle of the season.
We’ve seen them do that before. That was the approach San Francisco took in 2023 when it traded for edge rusher Chase Young. That move panned out OK, although Young was not as strong as fans were hoping for. Still, that’s probably smarter than making a trade ahead of the season.
The Niners seem content to start the season with Mykel Williams and Romello Height as the edge rushers opposite Nick Bosa on the defensive line. Maybe Height can finally be the player they've been desperately searching for.
Verse would be the ideal guy to get, though, if they do end up trading for an edge rusher. He’s young, under team control for a while, and had 7.5 sacks last season. It would also be incredible if the Niners are in a close race with the Rams for the NFC West crown and they add Verse after LA moved on from him.
What a storyline that would be.
It would take a lot of draft capital to get it done and maybe a bit of a long shot, but it would be an incredible move that would finally give the 49ers the edge rusher they’ve been looking for.
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