A blockbuster trade altered the NFC West landscape this week, bringing former Cleveland Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams.
On Monday, the Rams officially acquired Garrett from the Browns in exchange for defensive lineman Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick. Garrett is coming off a historic 2025 campaign in which he recorded 23 sacks, setting a new NFL single-season sack record.
The trade immediately caught the attention of San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach and offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who addressed the move while speaking to reporters on Tuesday during Phase 3 of the team's offseason program.
"He's an outstanding football player," Foerster said. "He's going to be a challenge for us to take care of. Everybody has good players, and he's a great player. It's good for them, helps them, and it'll be a good challenge for us."
Foerster shared that he revisited Garrett's film shortly after hearing the news.
"I sure did," Foerster said with a laugh when asked if he watched Garrett's tape first thing Tuesday morning. "It kind of came out of left field... You remember him, but now we have him in the division and you don't play him all the time so you say 'let me go back and look at the tape and see what it really was,' and he's a great player."
San Francisco will get an early look at Garrett in Rams blue and gold. The 49ers and Rams are set to open the 2026 regular season in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 10 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the NFL's first-ever regular season game in Australia. The division rivals will meet again in Week 14 at Levi's® Stadium.
Foerster noted that talented defensive fronts are nothing new in the NFC West, a division that has consistently produced Super Bowl contenders.
"They all have good defenses," Foerster said. "There's always going to be a challenge, whether it be interior-wise or exterior pass rush. So, it's always going to be somebody."
