Myles Garrett was added to the Commanders schedule earlier this week. The Cleveland Browns weren’t suddenly part of Washington’s slate. Garrett became one after being traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster deal made official on Monday.
The Rams got Garrett. The Browns got young edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a conditional 2029 third-round pick.
That means Garrett will face the Commanders in a Week 9 matchup at Northwest Stadium. He almost exclusively
lines up over the left tackle, creating an epic matchup with Washington’s Laremy Tunsil one of the best at his position.
There’s a mutual respect between these two titans, which Tunsil made clear in a recent podcast appearance on “Strong Talk” posted by Men’s Health Magazine.
“Myles Garrett is the best defensive player in the NFL,” Tunsil said. “I’ve been playing against Myles since he was a freshman in college and that had to be, like, (2014). We’ve been battling ever since. Every time we see each other, it’s respect. It’s a different type of lock in, because he doesn’t want to lose and I don’t want to lose. We play the Rams in (Week 9), so it’ll be another fun one.”
Garrett is a challenge for any offensive lineman, and even the best of them get got. That’s why he’s the single-season sacks leader and has 125.5 in his career. The four-time, first-team All-Pro has had at least 10 sacks in each season since 2018, an incredible run in Cleveland that now transfers to Los Angeles.
Tunsil has been shockingly effective against Garrett, as illustrated by this great stat from Commanders team reporter Zach Selby.
The initial meeting Tunsil referred to came on Oct. 11, 2014, when Garrett was a true freshman at Texas A&M and Tunsil was at Mississippi. They’ve battled several times since then, as each went on to stardom at their respective positions.
Tunsil was drafted No. 13 overall in 2016 – he should’ve gone much earlier, if not for a draft-day controversy – and Garrett went at No. 1 overall the following year.
Garrett said on the Chasing10Fishing show run my Randy Moss, while having a conversation with Will Anderson, said that Tunsil was the last guy who made Garrett feel frustrated.
If both guys are healthy in Week 9, that individual matchup should be theater within the greater context of the game.
