The Los Angeles Rams may finally be getting the kind of break they’ve been waiting for all season.
After opening the year 4-4 and fighting through a long list of injury problems, the Rams are now on track to welcome back Myles Garrett in Week 9. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Friday that the star edge rusher is expected to be activated ahead of Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders.
“Rams star Myles Garrett, working his way back from knee surgery that landed him on Injured Reserve, is on track to be activated ahead of Sunday vs. the Commanders, per me and @RapSheet,” Garafolo reports. “Garrett has practiced all week, and all indications point towards him playing. A big lift.”
Garrett has been on Injured Reserve since Week 1, when he suffered a knee injury and eventually needed surgery. He practiced all week, and the latest signs point to a return if everything goes smoothly through Friday and into the weekend.
The Rams landed Garrett in a blockbuster trade after his record-setting season with the Cleveland Browns, when he piled up 23 sacks. But his first year in Los Angeles has been interrupted almost immediately, with the Week 1 setback keeping him sidelined ever since.
Now, though, he’s close to getting back on the field for a defense that could use the help. Los Angeles is staring at a tricky stretch with the Commanders and Arizona Cardinals in Weeks 9 and 10 before a Week 11 bye, and slipping in either of those games could put the Rams in a tough spot.
Garrett’s return would also come at a time when the defense has taken another hit, with Jaylen Watson now out for the rest of the season. After a year defined by injuries, the Rams may finally be getting a little relief.
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Rams Could Finally Get A Defensive Lift At The Perfect Time
Myles Garrett is expected to be back in the lineup for the Rams upcoming game against the Washington Commanders, a timely boost for a defense that could use one as the schedule starts to tighten. After undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, he had already been back on the practice field this week, and the team has been preparing for his activation.
Garrett had logged 40 snaps before landing on injured reserve, so the Rams know what kind of impact he can have when hes available. With a critical stretch ahead, getting him back now could help stabilize a defense that needs every healthy piece it can get. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Rams, it is another reminder that the NFC West could look a little different by the time the deadline passes, even as Sean McVay keeps managing his own roster with care. McVay said he plans to gradually reintegrate Myles Garrett into practice, while Arizona is also sorting out its quarterback situation and waiting on James Conners return, leaving plenty of moving parts around a division race that already feels unsettled. [Read more 🡒]