Garrett to undergo knee surgery, placed on injured reserve

Myles Garrett will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery and be placed on injured reserve, according to ESPN reporting on September 13. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year will miss at least four games under the league's injured reserve rules, making him eligible to return for the Rams' Week 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Garrett's injury represents an abrupt end to his debut season with Los Angeles after the Rams traded pass rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick to acquire him from Cleveland. Per CBS Sports, the Rams reworked his four-year, $160 million contract to raise his 2026 pay to more than $37 million.

The knee issue surfaced during training camp, when per ESPN reporting Garrett missed most of the period with what Rams coach Sean McVay called swelling. Garrett wore a sleeve on his left leg during several practices and declined to specify which knee was injured after the Week 1 game. In that game, a 27-7 loss to San Francisco in Melbourne, Australia, Garrett was limited and recorded zero tackles in 39 snaps, according to CBS Sports. The statline marked just the fourth game of his career with zero tackles.

After the loss, Garrett told reporters, per Front Office Sports, "This was the worst version of myself that I've put out there." CBS Sports reported him saying postgame: "When I was out there, I was a little bit more focused on myself and trying to stay healthy than what they were doing, and that showed. I wasn't who I needed to be for my team."

Garrett's absence will coincide with the Rams' next four matchups: at home against the Giants, at the Broncos, at the Eagles, and at home against the Bills. The Rams will need to absorb these games without their defensive anchor. Byron Young, per CBS Sports, is a Pro Bowl-caliber pass rusher who had a career-best 12 sacks last season and can slot into a larger role. Defensive tackle Kobie Turner recorded 7 sacks and a career-high 55 pressures in 2025. Third-round pick Josaiah Stewart is expected to see an uptick in rotational snaps on the defensive line, per CBS Sports.

Aaron Donald, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year who came out of retirement on August 30, did not travel to Melbourne and did not play against the 49ers, but the injury to Garrett may accelerate his return to the field.