Los Angeles Rams star edge rusher Myles Garrett is undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery and moving to injured reserve, sidelining the reigning Defensive Player of the Year for at least four games following a scoreless season debut against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.
The Los Angeles Rams will be without their best defensive player for at least a month after deciding that a conservative maintenance approach could no longer fix an ailing knee that severely limited his impact on the field.
Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett is undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee and headed to injured reserve following a scoreless, zero-pressure performance in the team’s Week 1 loss.
How a Training Camp Maintenance Plan Collided With Reality in Australia
The knee trouble began early for the star pass rusher, who first experienced soreness on July 29 during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. That initial flare-up delayed his first training camp news conference by more than an hour and prompted a cautious maintenance schedule as the team transitioned to its facility in Woodland Hills.
I’m allowed to get sore, Garrett said at the time, noting his age. I’m a little old.
Behind the scenes, the workload management grew more pronounced. As joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints approached, Garrett practiced far less. Head coach Sean McVay noted that Garrett estimated himself at roughly 85 percent of his normal abilities during the Cowboys joint session.
Garrett finally returned to full practice on September 6 as the team prepared for its regular-season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. He logged full sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, leaving coaches confident.
The optimism vanished on game day. Garrett played 40 of the team’s 65 defensive snaps along with six special teams plays, but he rotated out frequently, failed to find any rhythm, and recorded zero sacks, zero tackles, and zero quarterback hits in the 27-7 defeat.
“This was the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there. I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to find a way to recover and get back to the player I know that I can be and that I’ve shown I’ve been before. … When I was out there, I was a little bit more focused on myself and trying to stay healthy than what they were doing, and that showed. I wasn’t where I needed to be for my team.”
Myles Garrett, Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker, via The Athletic
The Turning Point and Immediate Roster Fallout
Following the game in Australia, McVay and Garrett sat down to discuss the knee. The conversation made it clear that the cautious approach had run its course, prompting the decision to get the knee fixed immediately rather than struggle through the autumn.
“The reality is, our job is to put our players and our team in positions to have successful outcomes. Thought we would take an approach where he’d be feeling good enough to go contribute positive change and be the player that he’s capable of. That wasn’t the case, and so the next right thing for us is to be able to get this thing fixed. In the meantime, we’ll look forward to whenever that time is that we get him back. But that was kind of what went into the decision, and now we’re moving forward.”
🚨BREAKING: Myles Garrett To Be Placed On Injured Reserve By Rams After Knee Surgery
Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams head coach, via official team site
Placing Garrett on injured reserve guarantees he will miss at least the next four games. That stretch includes a brutal gauntlet against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, followed by matchups with the Denver Broncos, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Buffalo Bills.
The timing is stark. The Rams acquired the two-time AP Defensive Player of the Year in a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns in June, trading pass rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks to pair Garrett with a defense designed to chase a Super Bowl title. Last season in Cleveland, Garrett set an NFL single-season record with 23 sacks.
Defensive Adjustments and the Aaron Donald Speculation
Without their star edge rusher, the Rams will have to lean more heavily on the rest of the defensive front. In the opening loss to San Francisco, the Rams blitzed on just 11.1 percent of plays, relying on a rush that produced zero sacks against Brock Purdy.
Photo: sports.yahoo.com
As the team prepares to host the Giants, speculation has naturally turned toward whether retired legend Aaron Donald might return to the field. Donald did not travel to Australia because he is ramping back into football shape following two years in retirement, but McVay stressed that Donald’s process and Garrett’s surgery are entirely separate situations.
He’s going to continue to work his process, and we’ll see what that looks like, McVay said regarding Donald’s availability for Week 2.
For now, the Rams must navigate a punishing early schedule without the dominant pass rusher they spent the offseason acquiring, leaving Garrett’s return timeline entirely dependent on the success of his knee procedure.
Rams' Myles Garrett to have knee surgery, headed to IR
