​The offseason reshaped the entire NFC West when the Los Angeles Rams acquired superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett, setting the stage for a dramatic clash of styles and strategies. As the defending divisional champions and the reigning Super Bowl 60 victors, the Seattle Seahawks now face the daunting task of slowing down a player who is poised to ignite chaos across the conference. Garrett’s impact extends far beyond one game; he is expected to disrupt offenses and force teams to recalibrate their game plans week after week. In this new landscape, Seattle’s offense and defense must account for the relentless pressure he brings, as his presence alone can alter how opposing coordinators call plays and how tackles prepare for each snap.
Meanwhile, ESPN has been methodically rolling out its top 10 players at every position, a feature built on input from a broad cross-section of the league. Coaches, executives, and scouts contribute to the rankings, lending the lists a mix of on-field performance and professional consensus. In a remarkable display of unanimous respect, Myles Garrett was voted the No. 1 pass rusher in the NFL. “It’s a clean sweep for Garrett, who was No. 1 on every ballot,” ESPN analyst Jeremy Fowler noted. That kind of unanimity is rare in this exercise, which typically sees at least one dissenting voice. Garrett’s case is compelling not only because of last season’s statistical outburst but also due to the way he achieved it.
Garrett posted an NFL-record 23 sacks in the 2025 season, a milestone that cemented his reputation as the league’s most feared pass rusher. His production didn’t stop at sacks; he also tallied an impressive 33 tackles for loss, underscoring his ability to disrupt plays behind the line of scrimmage and influence the flow of entire drives. Even more telling is the context in which his numbers were accumulated. Garrett faced constant double teams for roughly 30 percent of his pass-rushing opportunities, a defensive strategy designed specifically to curb his destruction of the backfield. Yet despite this extra attention, he still commanded a significant share of the opposing offense’s attention, and he did so with the efficiency of a player who could derail game plans single-handedly. The value he brings to the Rams and the pressure he imposes on opponents make him not just a premier defender but a potential game-changer in any matchup.
What makes Garrett extraordinary is not merely the raw totals but the adversity he overcomes to achieve them. His relentless motor, technical proficiency, and the ability to convert pressure into tangible disruption have kept him at the top of the league’s pecking order. The 2025 season elevated him from elite pass rusher to a near-unstoppable force, and many observers believe his dominance is sustainable. The question now is how teams will adapt to him in 2026. For Seattle, that means drafting and deploying strategies that can contain his speed and power at the edge, while also ensuring that their own offensive line can handle the second- and third-level threats that Garrett’s pressure often uncovers. The Rams, confident in their centerpiece, may even tilt the balance in their favor, with Garrett earning a reputation as a dependable centerpiece around which a championship-caliber defense can be built.
As the NFL world absorbs ESPN’s comprehensive ranking and the ongoing drama of the NFC West’s evolving power dynamics, one certainty remains: Garrett’s presence has rewritten the expectations for the division. The combination of a record-setting performance and the perpetual threat he carries creates a storyline that transcends a single season. If Seattle can block out the noise, coordinate a plan with their offensive line, and execute with disciplined protection schemes, they might still contend for the playoff picture. If they falter, Garrett’s impact could tilt the balance in favor of the Rams, ushering in a new era of dominance for Los Angeles within the conference.
Originally published as part of Seahawks Wire’s coverage, the piece highlights ESPN’s designation of Garrett as the league’s premier pass rusher and places it within the broader context of the NFC West’s high-stakes competition. The takeaway is clear: Garrett’s rise to the top of the pecking order is not merely a statistical achievement but a strategic challenge that every opponent will have to reckon with in the 2026 season. His influence looms large as teams in the division recalibrate their plans, and the NFL watches as one of the league’s most dynamic players continues to redefine what it means to be the game’s most disruptive edge presence.