The start of Dallas Cowboys OTAs on Monday was overshadowed by a blockbuster trade between the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns that sent generational pass rusher Myles Garrett to LA to join forces with Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay.
Reports out of Cleveland indicated that Dallas was one of three teams that showed interest in Garrett, with the rival Eagles joining the Rams as the other suitors.
Whether the Cowboys' interest was merely exploratory or a legitimate pursuit remains unclear. While it's a win that Garrett didn't end up in Philadelphia, his trade to LA marks another failed attempt by Dallas to land a star pass rusher after talks for Maxx Crosby in March fell by the wayside.
Now that the dust has settled, it's brutally obvious why the Cowboys never had a real shot at Garrett: they didn't have a Jared Verse to sweeten the pot for Cleveland.
According to ESPN, the Rams made a "persistent pursuit" of Garrett, but the Browns were adamant that the reigning Defensive Player of the Year wasn't for sale. Cleveland's position would only budge if Los Angeles included Jared Verse in the package.
The Dallas Cowboys didn't have a young defensive star to trade for Myles Garrett
The Rams did not want to part with Verse, but ultimately deemed him a necessary price to pay for Garrett, arguably the best pass rusher of his generation and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Ultimately, Los Angeles agreed to send Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-rounder to Cleveland. Some will argue that it doesn't even equal Garrett's value, but it's a substantial haul regardless. The haul was never going to be enough.
The Cowboys simply didn't have a Verse to tip the scales in their favor, as the Browns coveted a "young, ascending pass rusher," per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Second-year pro Donovan Ezeiruaku is currently Dallas' most valuable pass rush asset. The team is bullish on his potential, and he's viewed as someone who can make a Pro Bowl-caliber leap in Year 2, but that remains to be seen.
The No. 19 overall pick in 2024, Verse is already one of the most feared edge defenders in the league, racking up 12.0 sacks, 45 quarterback hits, and 157 pressures in two seasons. His 80 pressures last season were sixth-most at the position, per Pro Football Focus.
In terms of pedigree, CeeDee Lamb, Quinnen Williams, and George Pickens are the only Cowboys who may have piqued the Browns' interest. Lamb and Williams were never going anywhere. Pickens may have been more attainable, but Cleveland's pursuit of Verse indicates it was more interested in replenishing its defense than adding firepower to its offense.
The Cowboys hope that Ezeiruaku and first-round pick Caleb Downs develop into cornerstone pieces, but the Garrett trade is a brutal reminder that this defense -- at least for now -- lacks the kind of homegrown blue-chip talent that can headline a blockbuster trade.
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