Myles Garrett Injury Update: Rams Face Questions After Knee Surgery
On Sept. 27, Ian Rapoport reported that Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett faced a six-week recovery timeline.
si.com reported that Garrett underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and was placed on injured reserve, carrying a minimum four-week absence. The latest Myles Garrett injury update put the Rams’ decision to trade Jared Verse under greater scrutiny.
The Rams traded Verse as part of their move to acquire Garrett, according to Sports Illustrated. Garrett’s recovery therefore became tied to both the team’s plans for its defensive line and the player it moved to complete the deal.
Key Takeaways
- Garrett underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and went on injured reserve with a minimum four-week absence.
- Ian Rapoport reported a six-week recovery timeline on Sept. 27 and said Garrett was determined to beat it.
- The Rams traded Jared Verse as part of the move to acquire Garrett, while teammates described the departure as difficult.
Myles Garrett injury update and recovery timeline
Sports Illustrated said Garrett missed practices in August because of lower-body soreness and knee swelling. He missed much of the month before being estimated as a full participant in the days leading into Week 1.
Garrett played against the San Francisco 49ers without recording a statistic, according to Sports Illustrated. After the game, Sean McVay initially said, “To my knowledge, ya,” when asked whether Garrett was 100 percent, while Garrett offered a different assessment: “No. This was the worst version of myself.”
The Rams placed Garrett on injured reserve after the game, and Sports Illustrated reported that he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. The designation created a minimum four-week absence, but subsequent recovery estimates extended beyond that initial threshold.
| Date or point in timeline | Reported development |
|---|---|
| August | Garrett missed practices with lower-body soreness and knee swelling. |
| Sept. 27 | Ian Rapoport reported a six-week recovery timeline and said Garrett was determined to beat it. |
| Oct. 4 | Jonathan Jones reported that six weeks was a worst-case scenario and that the Rams hoped Garrett could return in Week 6 against Arizona. |
| Before the Raiders game | Sean McVay said Garrett would not return to practice that week, while Dan Graziano reported that he could miss at least another two or three weeks. |
Rapoport’s Sept. 27 estimate called for a six-week recovery, with Garrett determined to return sooner. Sports Illustrated also reported that The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones described the six-week estimate as a worst-case scenario on Oct. 4.
Jones reported that the Rams hoped Garrett could return in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals. Garrett did not play against Arizona, according to Sports Illustrated.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano then reported that Garrett could miss at least another two or three weeks. That estimate placed the expected absence beyond the injured-reserve minimum and the initial Week 6 target.
The trade cost and defensive line stakes
The recovery timeline matters because the Rams traded Verse as part of the move to acquire Garrett, Sports Illustrated reported. Verse had been part of the defensive group Los Angeles was building after moving on from Leonard Floyd, Bobby Wagner and Jalen Ramsey and following Aaron Donald’s retirement.
The Rams had also developed contributors including Kobie Turner, Byron Young and Braden Fiske. Sports Illustrated reported that Los Angeles traded for cornerback Trent McDuffie and signed Jaylen Watson during the offseason as additional moves to strengthen the defense.
McDuffie described mixed feelings about Garrett’s arrival during an appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys. “Guys weren’t even excited excited, knowing you have Myles Garrett coming,” McDuffie said, referring to the reaction to Verse’s departure as well as the acquisition.
Young also discussed the personal cost of losing Verse. “That was unfortunate. It’s part of business and it’s something that definitely did hit me pretty hard,” Young said, adding that Verse had been “a brother to me.
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Fiske described a similar first reaction to the transaction. “My first instinct isn’t, ‘Oh, s—. We got Myles Garrett.
’ My first instinct is like, ‘Oh, s—. We lost Jared. That really sucks,’” Fiske said.
Sports Illustrated reported that McDuffie called Garrett “gigantic” and “a monster” during training camp. The Rams then had to manage the knee issue that had surfaced in August while adjusting to Verse’s departure.
The Rams’ next step in Garrett’s return
The reported timeline moved from the four-week minimum tied to injured reserve to Rapoport’s six-week estimate, then to Jones’s description of six weeks as a worst-case scenario. The hoped-for Week 6 return against Arizona did not occur, and Graziano later reported that Garrett could miss at least two or three more weeks.
McVay said Garrett would not return to practice during the week leading into the Las Vegas Raiders game. That practice decision was the Rams’ next announced step in managing Garrett’s knee recovery.
