Mike McCarthy has zero objections to the Cleveland Browns’ trade that shipped the reigning defensive player of the year out of the AFC North.
“I’m all for it,” the Pittsburgh Steelers coach said Tuesday with a laugh. “Myles Garrett’s a phenomenal player. Had a chance to compete against him two years ago. … He’ll have a great opportunity out there in L.A. These trades and transactions, I’m never surprised, but what a great player.”
The Browns traded the five-time All-Pro defensive end to the Rams on Monday.
In 16 career games against the Steelers, Garrett had 13 sacks, 47 tackles and four forced fumbles.
The 6-foot-4, 272-pounder broke an NFL single-season record last season with 23 sacks, eclipsing a mark previously shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. However, Garrett was held without a sack in two matchups with the Steelers.
McCarthy, as Cowboys coach, faced Garrett twice. The edge rusher had two sacks in a 2020 victory at Dallas and one in a 2024 loss in Cleveland. Garrett forced a fumble in each game.
The Rams aren’t on the Steelers’ schedule for the upcoming season. And because the teams are in opposite conferences, they could meet only in the Super Bowl.
In return for Garrett, the Browns received Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick, a second-round pick in ‘28 and a third-rounder in ‘29.
Safety signs
The secondary added depth by acquiring veteran safety Darnell Savage Jr., a seven-year pro and former first-round draft pick. The Steelers announced Savage’s signing Tuesday.
The 28-year-old played 12 games last season but for three teams. He played two games for Jacksonville, eight for Washington and two for Buffalo, where he made his only start in 2025.
In all, Savage (5-11, 198) has played 97 career games with 83 starts. He entered the league as the Packers’ first-round pick in 2019, which was a year after McCarthy departed. He has 10 career interceptions.
Tonyan tryout
Five players participated in minicamp on a tryout basis, including former Packers tight end Robert Tonyan, who once caught three touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers in the same game.
Tonyan was joined on Tuesday by punter James Platte, receiver Trayvon Rudolph and linebackers Amari Burney and Jamin Davis.
An eight-year pro, Tonyan (6-5, 240 pounds) played his first five seasons in Green Bay. His best was 2020, when he caught 11 touchdowns, highlighted by a three-TD game on a Monday night against Atlanta.
The 32-year-old has played 107 career games (24 starts) for the Packers, Bears, Vikings and Chiefs. He had one catch for 1 yard in 17 games last season in Kansas City.
Coach vacancy
The Steelers will hire an assistant special teams coach to replace Derius Swinton, who was dismissed Friday. ESPN reported Swinton was let go “due to a violation of club policy.”
“The situation has been dealt with internally,” McCarthy said, “and we are definitely moving forward as far as the hiring process. It’s going on, and we’re taking the steps necessary.”
Swinton, 41, had worked continuously in the NFL since 2009. With the Steelers, he was serving as an assistant to special teams coordinator Danny Crossman.