Perfect trade Falcons must offer Browns for Myles Garrett

The Atlanta Falcons got their defensive coordinator position taken care of, and they are currently seeking free-agent help. But a player who could change everything for 2025 must come via trade. And here is the perfect trade the Falcons must offer the Browns for Myles Garrett.

Let’s face it, the Falcons had almost zero pass rush in the 2024 season. They ranked No. 31 in the league with a paltry 31 sacks. If the team has any hope of moving from the outside looking in for the playoffs, they have to address this weakness.

Therefore, they must bring forth the capital it will take to get Garrett. Of course, the Falcons could stand pat with their No. 15 pick and hope Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. falls into their lap. But that’s risky business. Abdul Carter of Penn State will be long gone, and Mike Carter of Marshall may not ring the bell.

Falcons must trade picks to get DE Myles Garrett

It starts with the No. 15 selection. This one has some value. The Browns could get their quarterback and No. 2, and come back at No. 15 and start the process of replacing Garrett.

Of course, the Falcons may have to pony up a first-round pick in 2025. But if the addition of Garrett puts them in Super Bowl conversation, then it’s not going to be as valuable of a pick.

There’s no doubt the Falcons need defensive end help, according to atlantafalcons.com.

“They really need a standout edge rusher in my opinion,” said Trevor Sikkema, the lead NFL Draft analyst at Pro Football Focus. “This draft has some pretty good edge rushers. They have some really good guys at the top. Guys like James Pearce Jr. from Tennessee, Abdul Carter — obviously if he lasted to the Falcons' pick they'd be overjoyed — Mike Green from Marshall, who's here at the Senior Bowl. These are all options for them in the middle of the first round.”

Myles Garrett would be enormous upgrade for Falcons' defense

But if the Falcons make the trade for Garrett, their entire defense changes for the better. And they could still hit the position later in the draft to give Garrett help.

“It's a really deep D-line class,” Sikkema said. “So, I know that Falcons fans probably think, ‘Hey, we have to go with a pass rusher in the first round.' Obviously, if a guy falls to you and you love him and think that he's a great fit, you want to make that move because it's a big-time need for them as it stands right now.

“But even if they don't do that, even if there's somebody else where they go, ‘Man, this guy we just like him a lot better fitting for our team at a different position,' in Round 2 and Round 3, I still think you can get a pretty dang good edge rusher because it's a deep class.”

Myles Garrett brings tons of value

Garrett is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and made four appearances as a first-team All-Pro. Also, Garrett grabbed AP defensive player of the year honors in 2023.

At 29 years old, he’s getting up there a little. But he seems to still have plenty left in the tank. He’s coming off his seventh straight season with double-digit sacks. He totaled 14 in each of the last two seasons. The Falcons desperately need that production if they are going to become a legitimate playoff threat.

It’s already a new-look defense with Jeff Ulbrich coming to town to call plays. He said the coaching teamwork should be great, according to Sports Illustrated.

But Atlanta's new-look defense will be a “collaboration at the highest level,” Ulbrich said. He pointed to the impact of head coach Raheem Morris among others.

“The list goes on and on,” Ulbrich said. “We have an amazing defensive staff, guys that have been around great defenses, guys that understand ball at a high level, and it would be criminal of me not to take advantage of these guys.

“We're going to have some hard conversations, and that's another thing that's beautiful about this opportunity for myself — the equity in the relationship I have with Raheem is such that we can have drag out. Like if you were an outsider looking in, you'd be like, ‘Damn, they hate each other.' But we're capable of having those really, really hard conversations, but understanding that we're trying to create something special, and when we walk out that door, we walk out that door together.”

And now imagine if Garrett is part of those conversations. The Falcons could go from a bottom-tier defense to the fringe of the top 10 in one season. And if a couple of free agents are added along with hitting on a draft pick, the Falcons might soar in 2025.

It may all be a pipe dream

Garrett will remain in Cleveland in 2025, according to clevelandbrowns.com.

General Manager Andrew Berry said it’s cut and dried. When asked, specifically, “If someone sees you at dinner tonight and says, ‘We'll give you two ones for Myles do you say I'm not interested?' ”

Berry said, “Correct. You can put that on the record. “We feel really good about Myles obviously as a big piece of our future. We're looking forward to him being on the field. Like I said in my (early January) press conference, we envision him going from Cleveland to Canton when his career is over.”