Myles Garrett faces knee surgery as Rams brace for a possible four-game absence

The Rams built their offseason around adding Myles Garrett to the pass rush. One game into the season, their biggest acquisition is facing knee surgery and another interruption to his first year in Los Angeles.

Garrett will undergo an arthroscopic procedure and is headed for injured reserve, NFL Network reported Sunday. The Los Angeles Times separately reported that a team official confirmed the surgery, while describing an IR move as a possibility. The team had not announced a completed IR transaction in those reports.

If Garrett goes on injured reserve, he must miss at least four games. The Rams would be trying to recover from their opening loss without the defender they brought in to change how opposing offenses handle their front.

A problem that predates the opener

This did not begin with a surprise injury on Sunday. The Rams publicly addressed swelling in Garrett’s knee during training camp, and his availability remained part of the buildup to the trip to Australia.

As recently as September 8, Sean McVay said Garrett would be “ready to go” against San Francisco. The team’s own report described a player whose practice workload had been managed, with McVay expressing confidence in both his impact and his fit with his new teammates.

That makes the latest development a sharp change in the immediate outlook. Being available for the opener did not mean the underlying issue had disappeared. Now the question is how the Rams handle the games in front of them while Garrett gets treatment.

Albert Breer’s reaction captures the tension: an aggressive response to the knee problem can make sense while still leaving Los Angeles with a substantial football problem.

Four difficult weeks to cover

The Los Angeles Times lists the Rams’ next four opponents as the Giants, Broncos, Eagles and Bills. Those are the games an IR placement would take off Garrett’s schedule. Eligibility after the minimum absence would not, by itself, establish that he is medically ready to return.

The Rams were already managing another major addition to the defensive front. Before the opener, McVay announced that Aaron Donald would not play or travel to Australia as he worked toward returning after two years out of football. That September 8 update does not settle Donald’s current availability, but it shows why assuming an immediate, full-strength pairing was premature.

For now, Los Angeles has to plan around the players available. Garrett’s arrival raised expectations for the defense; his reported surgery changes the short-term assignment. The next useful update is a confirmed roster decision and a recovery outlook, rather than a date inferred from the minimum IR stay.