Myles Garrett’s name sits at the top of the NFL’s 2026 player rankings, and the reveal came with a little theater built in.
During an NFL shoot, Garrett was brought in front of the camera under the impression he was being asked about Micah Parsons and the league’s top ranking. Then the staff tried to quietly pull a cloth off a covered trophy. A noise from something hitting the ground gave the surprise away, and Garrett quickly realized the trophy in front of him carried his name and the No. 1 spot.
“I feel tired after practice. About to throw my shoulder out. Man, this is amazing.
The honor adds another layer to a season that already looked historic on paper. Garrett set a new NFL record with 23 sacks and also won the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year award by taking all 50 first-place votes.
Garrett later broke down the final sack that pushed him to that record, saying he recognized the quarterback’s cadence late and decided to attack when the chance came.
"Honestly, I knew it was going to be like one of the very last chances in the game in which I was going to have an opportunity,” Garrett said. “The cadence late in the game had been pretty rudimentary. So, I was like, "All right, you know, you take your shot."
For Garrett, the message has been consistent: he believes he has been the league’s best defensive player over the last five seasons, and he wants that to be clear.
"I feel like I've been the best defensive player in the league last 5 years. I'm just trying to separate myself and make that known.
I think it all really came together. You know, I had a great group back there in Cleveland and know they helped make this possible"
Garrett’s move to Los Angeles came after seven straight seasons in Cleveland with at least 10 sacks, a stretch that made him the fastest player to reach 100 career sacks. But after the Browns kept losing, he asked for a trade to LA this offseason.
Now he lands with a Rams team built around a defense that already looks loaded, especially with Aaron Donald returning. The setup makes Los Angeles look like a team everyone else has to chase, and Garrett’s presence changes how offenses have to prepare for them.
There is still a health question hanging over the start of his Rams run. Garrett is recovering from a knee injury that slowed him in training camp, and if that knee becomes an issue once the games count, the whole picture shifts quickly.
His arrival also puts him in a rare lane. This is only the third time in NFL history that a reigning Defensive Player of the Year has been traded.
And with multiple awards now on his resume, Garrett has joined the company of names like Lawrence Taylor, Ray Lewis, Reggie White, and J.J. Watt.
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