Ultimately, this is far bigger than Myles Garrett being traded to a Super Bowl contender. The Rams under Les Snead and Sean McVay have understood the value of an experienced veteran over the uncertainty of late-round draft picks (while still managing to develop an adequate farm system) more than almost any other team in professional football. The fact that the duo managed to sniff out the Browns’ interest in trading Garrett and pounce on the opportunity is not a surprise. Really, the fact that other teams did not after Cleveland altered the structure of Myles Garrett’s contract and then begged reporters to stop asking about it is the most surprising development of Monday’s bombshell.
But with McVay in particular, he has understood how the addition of individual players into lineups can short-circuit the hardwiring of almost any other team. He and Kyle Shanahan have taken over the NFL not by schematic force but by tinkering with the delicate scales that often balance an offense and defense. The development of a 49ers offense in which nearly every skill-position player could perform exceptionally well at two positions changed football. The Rams’ discovery of a wide receiver prototype that could block like a tight end changed football, just like the Rams’ usage of three-tight-end sets last year. If you had any doubt, go back through recent football history and watch the drafts subsequent to great Rams or 49ers seasons. Tight ends throttled up draft boards this year, for example, with 12-personnel (a set involving two tight ends) very likely becoming industry standard, with three-tight-end usage also skyrocketing.
