The Los Angeles Rams traded Jared Verse for Myles Garrett, knowing full well they were swapping potential for production. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler just provided more evidence that the move was the right one. After NFL personnel voted on their top 10 players at every position, Fowler highlighted the notable names who fell out of the top 10 at edge rusher. Verse was among them.

The reason is simple, and it circles back to the exact logic that drove the Rams to make the deal in the first place: production.

Verse’s sack totals tell the story

Verse is a quality run defender. Nobody disputes that. But it becomes difficult to classify any edge rusher as truly elite when he finishes a healthy season with 4.5 sacks. The analytics community will point to pressures, hurries, and how Verse affects the pocket. Those metrics have value. But the NFL is a results-based business, and the most valuable result a pass rusher can deliver is putting the quarterback on the ground.

A sack is an immediate loss of yards. It moves the chains backward. It helps the defense get off the field, which gives the offense more opportunities to score. A pressure or a forced throw can influence an outcome, but a sack guarantees one.

That gap between disruption and finishing is the core reason Verse slipped out of the top 10 in the eyes of league personnel. Talent evaluators around the league want to see production translate to the stat sheet, and 4.5 sacks from a healthy starter simply does not meet the threshold.

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Why the Rams made the move

Los Angeles was operating in a win-now window when it decided to move off Verse, a young and potentially ascending talent, in favor of a player at the peak of his powers. With Garrett, the Rams know what they are getting. A down year for Garrett would still produce roughly three times the sack total Verse posted last season.

Verse may continue to develop into a more well-rounded pass rusher, but the Rams were not willing to wait for that growth. Garrett provides the kind of proven, high-volume production that changes the complexion of a defense right now.

The bigger picture for the Rams’ defense

Many viewed Verse as a franchise cornerstone when the trade went down. That perception made the deal polarizing at the time. But the personnel rankings from Fowler’s reporting reinforce what the Rams front office clearly believed all along: production matters more than projection when you are trying to win a championship.

Garrett’s floor as a pass rusher sits well above what Verse has shown to this point. For a team built to contend in 2026, that distinction is everything.