The Los Angeles Rams have been called a super team heading into the 2026 season, but have largely lived up to that declaration as they enter Week 9 with a 4-4 record. However, part of the reason for the lackluster start is the absence of Myles Garrett, the club’s biggest offseason acquisition. That may be about to change.
The star pass rusher and defending Defensive Player of the Year will be placed on injured reserve ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Washington Chiefs, head coach Sean McVay confirmed Friday. Garrett, who has been battling a knee injury, has been limited in practice this week and all signs point to him playing this weekend.
Garrett was hampered by a knee injury that lingered into training camp. Despite missing most of camp, the 30-year-old suited up in Australia’s season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Los Angeles. However, Garrett was mostly ineffective in his Rams debut, recording just his fourth career shutout and scoring zero points in the game. The injury clearly bothered him as he played just 39 snaps.
After the competition, Garrett admitted he’s not 100%“I’ve got to find a way to recover and get back to the player I know I can be and I’ve shown I’ve been before,” he said.
That led to Garrett having arthroscopic knee surgery, which found him landing on injured reserve. He has missed Los Angeles’ last 7 games. This long absence is rare for Garrett, as he has usually been a consistent piece to his previous defenses. In the last five seasons (2021-2025), he has missed just two of the 85 games he has played.
Entering Week 9, the Rams rank 17th in the NFL in pressure rate (36.3%) and 27th in sack rate (4.4%), so adding Garrett back to that unit should give the pass trap a much-needed boost.
Of course, Garrett was at the center of the biggest blockbuster trade of the offseason. On June 1, LA sent Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Garrett. The Rams also agreed to a restructured five-year, $208.2 million contract after the trade.
Prior to this deal, Garrett spent the first nine years of his career with the Browns, where he also won the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year award after setting a two-season sack record (23).