Rams Face Concerning Myles Garrett Reality After Week 1 Loss

Melbourne, Australia - Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay was asked in his press conference following the loss to the San Francisco 49ers whether edge rusher Myles Garrett was feeling 100 percent. “To my knowledge, ya,” McVay responded bluntly.

The vibe completely changed once Garrett entered the press conference room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. When he was asked whether he felt 100 percent coming into Thursday night, Garrett said, “No. This was the worst version of myself.”

For the first time in a game since 2018, Garrett was held without recording a single stat, let alone creating pressure. The San Francisco 49ers did as good a job as anybody has at neutralizing the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and someone who just broke the single-season sack record. Garrett may have been going up against Trent Williams, and Kyle Shanahan may have called a lot of screens to combat the Rams’ defensive front, but those aren’t things that Garrett hasn’t seen before.

“I was a little bit more focused on myself and trying to stay healthy than what they were doing,” said Garrett.

Throughout much of training camp, the Rams and Garrett have been managing some swelling in his knee. While the Rams remained adamant that they were erring on the side of caution and simply learning how his body responds, it appears the issue may be more significant than that.

Garrett had been held out of practice for much of the last three weeks. He practiced on consecutive days last week for the first time since the beginning of training camp. While Garrett was listed on the injury report coming into Friday’s game, he was listed as a projected full participant on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Rams have a lot riding on Garrett and his ability to have a positive impact on the defense. There’s a reason they felt comfortable trading away Jared Verse and multiple first-round selections to acquire him. Unfortunately, the Rams simply didn’t get that version of Garrett against the 49ers.

It’s fair to wonder if this is something that the Rams need to be concerned about going forward. McVay has been coy in the past when it comes to injuries, and it seems like Garrett’s situation has fallen into that category. McVay was vague about Todd Gurley’s knee injury in 2018 and has taken a similar approach in the past with Stafford’s elbow and back injuries.

That's part of what makes Garrett’s knee injury so frustrating, especially since it didn’t happen during a game. Garrett had barely stepped onto the field for practice before the team started to hold him out. The Rams and Garrett know what he’s capable of when he’s healthy.

“I didn’t feel like I was the player I wanted to be and the player I’ve been before when I step onto that field,” said Garrett after the game.

Garrett’s knee is going to be something that the Rams have to monitor going forward. There’s no more waiting around for the start of the regular season. This is now their reality. If the Rams are going to reach their goals this season, they need Garrett to be at his best. They need to figure out the best path forward to get him there.

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