Rams hopeful Garrett (knee) practices next week

Garrett will reportedly retake the practice field this week as he looks to make his return from injured reserve, a welcome sight for fans and the team, alike. Garrett played only 40 defensive snaps in Week 1 before suffering the injury that would cost him the following seven games. His eventual return will bolster a defense that has been underperforming preseason expectations, bringing a jolt to a team currently stuck at .500 with a 4-4 record. We’ll know more of the timing of his activation throughout the week.

There was hope within the organization late last week that Garrett could get back on the practice field today. That will have to wait at least one more week. Garrett hasn’t played since Week 1 because of a knee issue that required surgery. His absence will make life for Jayden Daniels substantially easier in Week 8.

Garrett went on injured reserve after Week 1 and is therefore eligible to have his 21-day practice window for activation off IR opened this week. However, McVay said the 30-year-old pass-rusher won’t have his window opened, indicating Garrett is not ready to practice yet and it will still be some time before we see him back on the field. His initial timeline after undergoing a knee scope was roughly six weeks. It’s been four weeks so far, but Garrett could still hit the six-week return timeline if his practice window is opened next week.

Garrett attempted to play through the knee issue in Week 1 but was clearly bothered by the balky knee. He underwent a knee scope shortly after the Rams’ opener and was placed on injured reserve. It was initially expected to be closer to a four-week absence for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Now he’ll miss a bit longer than that, and Rapoport added that the team will be cautious with his return, so he could be sidelined beyond even the six-week timeline.

Garrett will miss at least four games after going on injured reserve. The All-Pro pass-rusher is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his knee after struggling to play through the injury in Week 1. Garrett’s absence is a massive blow to the Rams’ defense, but they should have enough players in place to get through what they hope is a short time away.

According to Pelissero, Garrett had been dealing with lower leg pain and “wasn’t himself” in Week 1 against the 49ers. Garrett was routinely taken off the field and failed to record a single stat in the contest. Per Pelissero, the team hopes he will miss only a minimum of four weeks while on injured reserve. The impending return of Aaron Donald should help ease the loss of Garrett, but this is undoubtedly a massive blow to the Rams’ defense.

Coming off an underwhelming debut in which he failed to even record a tackle in Week 1’s loss against the 49ers, Garrett said he was “the worst version” of himself in Thursday’s game. The star pass rusher was dealing with a knee injury in the days leading up to the game, but was ultimately removed from the injury report on Wednesday. Speaking after the game, he said his knee didn’t feel 100 percent, but Garrett still managed to play on 40 snaps, per PFF. Unfortunately, he generated only three pressures and failed to get a hit on the quarterback. Hopefully, some extended time off before next Monday’s game against the Giants will be enough for Garrett to get right in the Rams’ official 2026 home debut.

As expected, Garrett gets in a full practice ahead of the Rams’ Week 1 Australia matchup against the 49ers. He did not practice Tuesday but it was likely a load management day for the star pass-rusher’s knee. Expect more of these kinds of practice weeks from Garrett moving forward; he is good to go for Week 1.

Garrett was a non-participant in practice Tuesday, but it looks to be a load management day with other Rams players listed as DNP due to rest and head coach Sean McVay saying Tuesday he expects Garrett to play Week 1. Though the team will be without Aaron Donald for opening day, the Rams are still expecting to have Garrett good to go against the 49ers.

Heavily load-managed in the offseason, Garrett will enter his age-31 season fresh and ready to try to top last year’s 23-sack season in a new defense. We won’t be surprised if Garrett continues to be listed on the injury report going forward, but if he’s going to play through this there’s probably no need to be concerned about the report unless new concerns arise.