It’s been nearly three months since the blockbuster trade, and we still haven’t seen Myles Garrett in a Los Angeles Rams uniform. He’s sat out both of the Rams’ first two preseason games and has now missed 12 practices due to knee swelling and soreness. It wasn’t a concern in the early stages of camp a few weeks ago, but with Week 1 just around the corner, worry was starting to build.
But head coach Sean McVay downplayed the severity of the absence on Tuesday, insisting that the team is sitting him out as a precaution. “The goal is, what can we do to be able to get him ready to roll for Australia?” McVay said.
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The Rams open the regular season against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday, Sept. 10. It’s not only the first-ever NFL game played in Australia, but it also pits two potential Super Bowl contenders against one another in just the second game of Week 1. So McVay is right when he says the goal right now is to make sure Garrett is fresh for that game and the regular season, not to get him out there during preseason.
With reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, two elite receivers in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, and an All-Pro running back in Kyren Williams, LA was already set to enter 2026 as one of the favorites before Garrett arrived. Now they’ve got the two-time Defensive Player of the Year and one of the greatest pass rushers of all time paired with an already stacked front seven featuring Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and Braden Fiske.
If Garrett’s injury is indeed minor, the Rams present a terrifying threat for any team forced to match up with them this season — and that’s assuming they don’t bring back franchise icon Aaron Donald too.
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