The Los Angeles Rams are choosing the long-term approach with Myles Garrett.
Garrett has been placed on injured reserve because of the knee issue that limited him throughout training camp and contributed to a quiet Week 1 debut against San Francisco. The move means the reigning Defensive Player of the Year will miss at least the Rams’ next four games.
The decision comes only days after Garrett acknowledged that the knee was affecting him considerably more than he had previously indicated.
Garrett finished Los Angeles’ 27-7 loss to the 49ers without a tackle, sack or quarterback hit, calling the performance the “worst version” of himself afterward. He had dealt with swelling throughout the summer and missed significant practice time while the Rams attempted to manage the problem.
Rams Decide Rest Is the Better Option
Los Angeles initially believed Garrett would be ready for Week 1. He returned to full participation before the opener and carried no injury designation into the game.
What happened in Melbourne apparently changed the calculation.
Rather than continuing to manage Garrett week-to-week, injured reserve provides him with an extended period to allow the knee to settle and rebuild toward full strength.
For a Rams team with championship expectations, that makes sense.
Garrett was not acquired simply to get through September.
Los Angeles needs the version of Garrett who recorded an NFL-record 23 sacks last season, not a compromised version trying to survive individual games.
Aaron Donald’s Return Becomes Even More Important
The timing places additional attention on Aaron Donald.
Donald sat out the opener after coming out of retirement late in the preseason, with the Rams intentionally giving him more time to rebuild his football conditioning. Head coach Sean McVay had indicated that Donald should be ready sooner rather than later.
With Garrett now unavailable, Los Angeles will need Donald, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Byron Young to shoulder a larger portion of the pass-rush responsibility.
Garrett’s absence also removes the defensive pairing that generated so much excitement during the offseason before it ever gets a chance to play together.
This is disappointing news for Los Angeles, but probably the correct decision.
Garrett did not look healthy against San Francisco.
Continuing to send him onto the field at less than full strength risks turning a manageable September problem into something that follows him throughout the season.
Four weeks of rest may be exactly what he needs.
The Rams made one of the biggest trades of the offseason because they believe Myles Garrett can help them win a Super Bowl.
The priority now is making sure that when he returns, they actually get Myles Garrett.
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