NFL analyst names 'best candidate' to land Browns' Myles Garrett in trade

The Washington Commanders were one of the teams that Cleveland Browns All-Pro pass-rusher Myles Garrett openly flirted with during media appearances that occurred shortly after he went public with his trade request.

On Thursday, NFL analyst Bill Barnwell of ESPN named the Commanders "the best candidate" to land Garrett, in part because Washington will have reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels on an inexpensive contract for the foreseeable future. 

"They will likely give Daniels a new deal in 2027 if he continues on this path, but that would still give them a huge runway where his cash and cap hit are team-friendly figures," Barnwell said about the Commanders. "They have $80M in cap space in 2025, so while they'll look to add help at receiver and potentially on the left side of the offensive line, general manager Adam Peters & Co. will have plenty of resources to devote to the defense."

That's important, as Garrett reportedly wants to both feature for a championship contender and receive a pay raise even though he's under contract through the 2026 season. Thus, a Washington side that completed a trip to this year's NFC Championship Game seemingly could give him what he wants and more assuming Daniels improves on his impressive debut season. 

"The Commanders have the No. 29 pick in April's draft, and that would likely be in play as part of a Garrett deal," Barnwell continued. "Would they be willing to throw [Jonathan Allen] into the mix? The 30-year-old defensive tackle is in the final year of his deal...The Browns have Dalvin Tomlinson on the interior, but Allen would give them a second impact tackle and soften the blow of losing Garrett."

Browns reporters such as Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand have suggested that Barnwell's proposal wouldn't be enough for Cleveland to trade Garrett. Specifically, Grossi thinks the Browns could ask the New England Patriots for the No. 4 overall pick of this year's draft and a 2026 first-round selection in return for Garrett.

For what it's worth, the Browns seem to be in no hurry to trade Garrett before the draft for less than a blockbuster offer and could instead "aggressively build for this year" before they give him the money he'll want to report for Week 1 in September. As much as the Commanders and Garrett may welcome a marriage, he first needs to be granted a desired divorce. Such a breakup isn't in sight heading into the halfway point of February.