It’s pretty obvious what adding a player like Myles Garrett brings to the Los Angeles Rams defense. He is a generational force, fresh off a historic campaign where he secured his seventh Pro Bowl selection and his second NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and has 125.5 career sacks to his name. On paper, Garrett’s on-field impact is obvious.
But former Rams offensive tackle and franchise icon Andrew Whitworth believes the true masterstroke of the Garrett trade might have less to do with game-day sacks and more to do with the Monday-through-Saturday culture of the building.
“I think one of the big things too, though, is not just his play, but the way this guy goes about his business,” Whitworth said. “There’s going to be a lot of young guys that can follow him and look at really the kind of day-by-day consistency he goes by chasing his craft to be excellent at it.
“And I think that that kind of, you know, it’s infectious. And guys see it and they go, ‘Man, I want to be like this guy,’ and whether they have that talent or ability, uh, they start to try to work like that guy. And it affects your locker room and your team. And so I think he’s going to have a massive impact there.”
That professional blueprint is exactly what a young Rams front-seven needs. Following Aaron Donald’s retirement after the 2023 season, the team has leaned heavily on an incredibly green defensive core. All but two of the Rams’ primary front-seven players were under the age of 30 heading into the 2026 season, with a significant majority of the projected starters holding a mere three years or less of NFL experience before the Garrett deal.
Garrett, meanwhile, is entering his 10th season in the league. He provides a masterclass in longevity and elite preparation. For a group of young defenders trying to establish their routine, observing how a two-time DPOY studies film, takes care of his body, and approaches individual drills is an educational luxury that money can’t buy.
While the media will focus on how many opposing quarterbacks Garrett drops to the turf, his ultimate legacy in Los Angeles may well be the blueprint of consistency he leaves behind for the next generation of the Rams’ defense for players like Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart and Braden Fiske.
