The Dallas Cowboys were reportedly in on Myles Garrett before he was dealt to the Los Angeles Rams, who are now the prohibitive Super Bowl favorites after losing a nail-biter in last year's NFC Championship Game.
As of this writing, the Cowboys' level of interest in Garrett has not been disclosed. Maybe that information will come to light eventually, but for now, it's fair to assume their involvement was exploratory.
Regardless, they didn't have the resources to compete with the Rams' offer, which included a trio of draft picks -- headlined by a 2027 first-rounder -- and Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse. It's a harsh pill for Dallas to swallow, but they can still come out winners in the long run if the latest intel from ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler holds.
Fowler is hearing that the Rams will not extend homegrown studs Puka Nacua, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, and Steve Avila, all of whom are set to become free agents in 2027. If Jerry Jones is paying attention, he should already have Byron Young in his crosshairs.
The Dallas Cowboys should absolutely sign Rams EDGE Byron Young if he reaches free agency
Selected 78th overall by the Rams in 2023, Young has vastly outperformed his draft slot and become one of the best value picks in the class. While Verse has spearheaded LA's pass rush, Young has quietly gone about his business, developing into a fearsome presence off the edge.
Last season was Young's most productive to date, and playing next to Garrett will only give him more favorable matchups.
Beyond leading the Rams with 12.0 sacks en route to his first Pro Bowl, Young compiled 64 pressures (13th-most among EDGEs), 29 quarterback hits, and 47 defensive stops, which are tackles that constitute a failure for the offense, per Pro Football Focus. He also finished 11th with a 16.8 percent pass-rush win rate and eighth with a 22.9 percent win rate in true pass sets.
That production would be a godsend for the Cowboys, whose pass rush became reliant on a 33-year-old Jadeveon Clowney last season following the Micah Parsons trade. Among returning edge defenders, Donovan Ezeiruaku paced Dallas with a 12.8% win rate and 22 pressures. Not exactly the efficiency you want from your top returning EDGE.
Ezeiruaku is expected to make a jump in Year 2, and No. 23 overall pick Malachi Lawrence oozes potential, but there's a difference between upside and proven production.
Young offers the latter, and he may shake free next year after the Rams inherited Garrett's five-year, $178 million contract. You'd obviously prefer Garrett, but landing Young next year would leave the Cowboys as unexpected winners of the Garrett fallout.
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