After spending time during training camp trying to manage Myles Garrett’s knee injury, it was the Los Angeles Rams’ dismal season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers that made it clear to everyone that the star defensive end needed surgery.
Garrett recorded no tackles or sacks while playing 61.5% of the snaps in the Rams’ 27-7 loss in Melbourne, Australia. Coach Sean McVay said Monday that conversations with Garrett immediately after last Thursday’s game made it clear that a different approach would be needed, leading to the decision that Garrett needed surgery.
“We had been aware of that, we thought it was something he would be able to handle,” McVay said. “Obviously, being out there and playing in a real game, you learn like, ‘Hey, maybe it’s not like that. So let’s change course with this one.”
Myles Garrett was a big offseason addition for the Rams, but Los Angeles will have to wait until he recovers before taking advantage. (Photo by Kevin Terrell/Getty Images)
McVay did not have an updated timeline for Garrett’s recovery beyond the four-game minimum that comes with being placed on injured reserve, pending the results of the procedure.
Garrett missed most of training camp with knee swelling. The Rams acquired the reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year from the Cleveland Browns in a blockbuster trade for pass rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks in June, knowing Garrett’s workload had been carefully managed in recent seasons. That was acceptable to McVay, who has often limited practice time for veteran players to maximize their game-day performance.
“The reality is our job is to put our players and our team in positions to have successful results. We thought we’d take an approach where he would feel good enough to contribute to positive change and be the player he’s capable of being. That wasn’t the case, and so the next thing for us is to be able to fix that,” McVay said.
Garrett took to social networks after the Rams’ first loss to the 49ers to say, “I wasn’t the player I wanted to be. I didn’t feel like I was the player I was before when I got on that field. I’ve got to do whatever I can to get back on that.”
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McVay said Garrett’s absence won’t have any impact when Aaron Donald returns to the field after coming out of retirement last month.
Donald, a three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year, did not travel with the team to Australia as he works his way back into playing form after two seasons away from football. McVay said it was too early to know if Donald would play in the Rams’ opener against the New York Giants next Monday.
“He’s going to continue to work his process and we’ll see how it looks,” McVay said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
