The Los Angeles Rams went into the 2026 offseason seemingly set at edge rusher. They had Jared Verse and Byron Young as their starters, with second-year pro Josaiah Stewart locked in as a key backup.
But they weren’t satisfied, as evidenced by their blockbuster trade
for Myles Garrett. Before acquiring the Cleveland Browns star in June, they reportedly “strongly considered” making a move for another star edge rusher: Maxx Crosby.According to Tom Pelissero, the Rams “called and kept tabs” on Crosby in the spring.
Garrett wasn’t the only superstar edge the Rams strongly considered acquiring in the spring.
They also called and kept tabs on Maxx Crosby, who ended up back in Las Vegas after a blockbuster deal with the Ravens came apart in March over
concerns about the knee Crosby had repaired in January.
Crosby wouldn’t have yielded the same haul that Garrett did, despite being a dominant player himself. But the Ravens clearly had concerns about his knee, causing them to back out of a previously agreed-upon trade that would’ve sent him from Las Vegas to Baltimore. Maybe the Rams had similar reservations.
Ultimately, patience paid off because the Rams wore the Browns down and finally got a deal done for Garrett after checking in on him here and there since 2022.
The move cost them Verse, but they’re happy to have the two-time Defensive Player of the Year in horns. And had they not traded for Garrett, perhaps Aaron Donald wouldn’t have come back, either.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Report: Rams 'strongly considered' trading for Maxx Crosby in offseason
