Myles Garrett is trending toward a return for the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday against the Washington Commanders, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
That would be a major step for a defense that has been waiting on its star edge rusher since early in the season. Garrett has missed the last seven games after suffering a knee injury, then had arthroscopic knee surgery shortly after the Rams came back from Melbourne, Australia, where they opened the year with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Los Angeles eventually moved him to injured reserve.
There was a small but important sign of progress on Wednesday, when Garrett got back on the practice field as a limited participant for the first time since the injury.
“I want to be careful to (not) even set any sort of expectations,” head coach Sean McVay said Monday about Garrett potentially returning this weekend. “I think just taking it a day at a time is going to be the best way that we can approach it.
“I think that’s the right thing for him, and really just to see how he responds. But I think it’s a real positive that we’re starting his clock.”
Garrett’s lone appearance this season was brief. He played a little more than 61% of the defensive snaps in that game and did not record a defensive stat. The Rams landed him in a blockbuster offseason trade with the Cleveland Browns that also sent Jared Verse and a 2027 first-round pick.
Los Angeles has felt the absence. The Rams are 26th in sacks and 28th in quarterback hits, according to TruMedia. And Aaron Donald, who came out of retirement partly to play with Garrett, still has not shared the field with him after missing the season opener.
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