After initial 'gut punch' of Myles Garrett trade, 49ers prepare to deal with the star pass rusher

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The initial news of Myles Garrett's trade from Cleveland to the Los Angeles Rams hit San Francisco 49ers offensive line coach Chris Foerster like a “gut punch.”

The game's most fearsome pass rusher was joining the Niners' division rivals, setting up two head-to-head matchups this upcoming season beginning with the opener in Australia.

So Foerster went right to work to study Garrett and figure out how to deal with the reigning AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

“It was kind of a little gut punch at first, you’d feel like, gosh, here we go,” Foerster said Tuesday. “But then I woke up really early this morning, earlier than usual. I came in and just watched tape. I said, he’s a tough football player. He’s going to be a challenge for us to take care of. But we had a plan last year. You’re going to do the best you can. Everybody has good players, and he’s a great player. It’s good for them and it’ll be a good challenge for us.”

The 49ers haven't had to deal with Garrett often as he spent his first nine seasons in the AFC playing for the Browns before the trade on Monday to Los Angeles for young pass rusher Jared Verse and a package of draft picks that Foerster said “came out of left field.”

San Francisco played Garrett three times over that span, including a matchup last season when Garrett had one of his NFL single-season record 23 sacks to go along with eight quarterback pressures.

After that 26-8 win by the 49ers in Week 13, 49ers star left tackle Trent Williams told Garrett he wouldn't mind if he never had to face Garrett again and called him the “best ever.”

Now Williams and the Niners are scheduled to face him twice this season alone.

Foerster said looking back at that game, he felt as if the 49ers offense had a plan that allowed them to be successful despite the presence of Garrett.

Now Garrett joins a much more formidable team in the Rams, who came up one win shy of reaching the Super Bowl last season. While Garrett provides a clear upgrade, the approach for the 49ers won't change much.

“We had to take care of Jared Verse. We have to take care of Myles Garrett. It’s an edge player,” Foerster said. “It’s different than when it was Aaron Donald. To take away an interior player is a different way to do it. I’m not saying they’re the same guy. Myles Garrett is an all-time great pass rusher. He’s an unbelievable talent. But he’s still an edge rusher.”

Quarterbacks coach Mick Lombardi took the big trade in stride, saying the Niners are used to going up against tough competition every week.

“Every game’s hard,” Lombardi said. “They have Myles Garrett. It is what it is. New players, free agency, trades, it’s so common nowadays. Everybody plays for different teams all the time. They have good players. I feel like every team we play has good players. But every week’s a challenge, so we’ll go out there and see what we can get done in the first week of the season.”

Roster shuffling

The 49ers signed safety Ashtyn Davis to a one-year deal to add depth at the position.

Davis grew up nearby in Santa Cruz and played in college at California before being drafted by the New York Jets in the third round in 2020. In six seasons with New York and Miami, Davis has 217 tackles, 19 passes defensed, nine interceptions, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries in 84 games.

The Niners waived running back Jermar Jefferson, who was signed last week.

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