Commanders WR Terry McLaurin Weighs in on the Rams’ Myles Garrett Trade

Terry McLaurin walked into the Commanders' facility, caught wind of the Myles Garrett news, and barely had time to process it before the show asked him to moonlight as an analyst.

The Washington wide receiver, an Ohio State product, took the assignment in stride. "That's a blockbuster, for sure," McLaurin said of the Rams acquiring Garrett from Cleveland.

He did not hedge on the talent involved. McLaurin put Garrett among the top two players at his position and somewhere in the top five in the entire league. The piece headed back to Cleveland did not get short-changed either. He sees Jared Verse as already among the best defensive ends in football, if not soon to be.

To McLaurin, the move fits the moment around the league. Teams are making aggressive moves to put themselves in position, he said, because everyone is after the same prize. "We're all chasing that Super Bowl."

He was, by his own account, fresh off a workout when it broke, and the building had mostly cleared out for treatment. The real reaction, he figured, would come the next day, when the news had time to ripple through the locker room.

Rich pushed him to read the Cleveland side of it, leaning on McLaurin's years in Ohio. The receiver offered genuine respect for the fan base.

"Their fans are extremely optimistic. That's what I respect," McLaurin said. He has met enough die-hard Browns supporters to know they ride hard regardless of results. In Verse, he sees a young, ascending player to build around, and wondered aloud whether Verse might even be from the area, which would make the homecoming sweeter.

He did not pretend the cost was painless. "Obviously losing a guy like Myles, he's impossible to replace," McLaurin said, noting that Garrett started his career in Cleveland and did so many great things there. Then the veteran's perspective kicked in. The NFL is a business, attrition is constant, and both sides will find out how it plays.

Rich thanked him for the cameo as a pundit. McLaurin played along, joking that he might have a future in this once the playing days are over. Rich was quick to clarify that those days are far from done.