This week, the NFL trade market has heated up significantly. While the Los Angeles Rams made their big moves in the offseason, the Seattle Seahawks traded for Quenton Nelson on Tuesday while the San Francisco 49ers added DeForest Buckner. A day later, the Chicago Bears made one of the biggest trades of the season when they acquired defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans.

As those teams get the benefit of seeing their big acquisitions take the field immediately, the Rams continue to wait on Myles Garrett. Garrett has spent the last six weeks on injured reserve. After reports surfaced that Garrett would return to practice this week, the Rams declined to activate his 21-day practice window. 

Through every passing week, the timeline of when Garrett will actually return only seems to get further away. While Garrett initially had a reported six-week timeline, it now seems unlikely that he will return before the bye week. The Rams are traveling to the east coast next week to play on a grass field in Washington that has historically been lower quality, although upgrades have been made in recent years. The following week, the Rams have a rematch with the Cardinals. It’s possible the Rams may feel they can beat the Cardinals without Garrett. 

When the Rams acquired Garrett, they gave up a future first-round pick in 2027, a star edge rusher in Jared Verse, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick. That’s a huge haul for a player that has yet to take a healthy snap for the team. 

Bears' Jeffery Simmons Trade Comes at a Familiar Price

That haul also became the baseline for the Bears’ deal with the Titans for Simmons on Wednesday. Simmons has been an elite defensive tackle in the NFL over the past several seasons, but has been overshadowed on a struggling Titans team. 

Detailing how the trade for Simmons went down, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer looked into previous trades that the Rams had made for Matthew Stafford and Garrett.

“Borgonzi’s research into the Watson, Stafford, Wilson and Hunter deals, had put a ballpark price in his head for what it might take to actually part with Simmons. He told Poles he’d need the Browns’ equivalent they got from the Rams in the Myles Garrett trade,” wrote Breer. “The Rams gave up a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, a 2029 third-round pick and star rusher Jared Verse for Garrett. Verse’s inclusion, as Borgonzi saw it, is why the 2028 pick was a second-rounder rather than a first. And the third-rounder Cleveland got was two and a half years off, devaluing it a bit.”

The Bears ended up giving away 2027 and 2028 first-round picks in addition to a 2027 fourth-round pick to acquire Simmons. While the Bears gave up a similar package for Simmons that the Rams gave up for Garrett, there is still a big difference in the deals. 

On Monday, the Bears will take the field with Simmons as part of their defense. Meanwhile, the Rams are still waiting for Garrett to take a healthy snap after placing him on injured reserve before Week 2,

This isn’t to say that the Rams should have done a trade for Simmons instead of Garrett. For starters, Simmons and Garrett don’t play the same position. The Rams were already good on the defensive line with Kobie Turner,  Braden Fiske, and Poona Ford. Additionally, Simmons had just signed an extension with the Titans in June and likely wasn’t available. 

Rams Are Still Waiting for Return on Myles Garrett Investment

With that said, it does emphasize the risk that the Rams took with Garrett. Over the past few years, when the Rams have made these types of blockbuster trades, they’ve mostly worked out. The trade for Stafford resulted in a Super Bowl win. Jalen Ramsey was an integral part of the secondary. The trade for Brandin Cooks may not have worked out as well, but he played well in 2018. 

When the Rams traded for Garrett, they couldn’t have anticipated that seven games into the season, he would have played just once. However, an argument can be made that the Rams got greedy in a sense when they traded for Garrett. The Rams didn’t have a need for a pass rusher, but saw Garrett as an upgrade over Verse. It was a calculated risk, but right now, they are paying the price. 

The Rams currently rank 17th in pressure rate at 39 percent and their four percent sack rate ranks 28th. That’s also while blitzing at a 28.1 percent rate, which ranks 15th. Last season, the Rams ranked second in pressure rate and ninth in sack rate with the lowest blitz rate in the NFL. 

Myles Garrett Trade Leaves Rams Facing an Uncomfortable Reality

It’s hard to blame the Rams for making the trade for Garrett. However, given that they didn’t have a need at that spot to begin with, waiting until the season to make a splash might have made more sense.

By trading for Garrett in the offseason, the Rams sacrificed both future draft capital and a young pass rusher who could have continued making an impact on the defense. Instead of having the flexibility to address their needs at the trade deadline, they have been left waiting and hoping that Garrett returns to the field at some point. Right now, that doesn’t seem like a guarantee. 

The Bears traded for a healthy Simmons, hoping that he can push them over the hump in a competitive NFC. However, the Bears will have an opportunity to see the impact of their investment immediately while the Rams continue to wait. The Rams took a risk trading for Garrett when they did, and right now, it has yet to pay dividends.