After a quiet and, honestly, almost invisible debut for the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett had a good excuse. The former Cleveland Brown cited a knee injury that had kept him out of much of the Rams' training camp and recent practices, with the two-time Defensive Player of the Year noting that it was "the worst version of myself that I've put out there."
After taking a loss on the chin against the rival San Francisco 49ers, Garrett and the Rams are taking no chances with his injury. The issue for both is that said approach will almost certainly hurt the team a lot in the immediate future. Garrett will reportedly undergo arthroscopic knee surgery, and he is now being placed on injured reserve. He will miss
a minimum of four games, though that timeline could be extended.
Woof. Talk about a huge injury to deal with before most of the rest of the NFL has even played a single game:
Rams star Myles Garrett will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his ailing knee and is headed to injured reserve, sources tell @ringer @netflixsports.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 13, 2026
Garrett has been dealing with lower-leg pain and wasn’t himself in Thursday’s opener. The hope is he’s back in four weeks. pic.twitter.com/naTKJDV06R
The key wording there is "hope" that he's back in four weeks. But that's the tricky part about lower-body injuries. The Rams have a vested interest in ensuring they don't ruin the rest of Garrett's career in an effort to push him to play this year. For him to return to play a month from now, the Rams won't let him onto the field unless he's in tip-top shape. Call it a good hunch.
All around, talk about a massive blow to a Rams team many had penciled in for February's Super Bowl 61.
Who is Myles Garrett's backup on the Rams?
Desjuan Johnson is listed as Garrett's backup on the Rams' official depth chart. Johnson is a former seventh-round draft pick from 2023. He is in his fourth season with the Rams.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: How much time will Myles Garrett miss for Rams after knee surgery?
