Ex Aggies Star Myles Garrett's Knee Surgery Deals Rams Massive Early-Season Blow

The Los Angeles Rams made Myles Garrett the centerpiece of an aggressive Super Bowl push this offseason. One game into the 2026 season, they're already facing the possibility of playing a significant stretch without him.

Garrett will undergo a procedure on his injured knee and is headed to injured reserve after struggling through Los Angeles' season-opening 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

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It’s a brutal early-season development for a Rams defense built around star power.

Garrett failed to record a tackle against San Francisco, an almost unthinkable stat for the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Afterward, he acknowledged the knee had prevented him from playing anywhere close to his normal level and described the performance as the worst version of himself he'd put on the field.

The warning signs had been there.

Garrett dealt with knee swelling throughout much of training camp and missed substantial practice time before eventually being cleared for the opener.

He practiced fully leading into the San Francisco game and wasn't given an injury designation, but it quickly became clear that Garrett wasn't operating at full strength.

Now the Rams are choosing surgery rather than attempting to manage the problem week to week.

That's significant considering what Los Angeles invested to get him.

The Rams acquired Garrett from Cleveland in June, sending former Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-round selection to the Browns.

They weren't paying that price for merely another productive edge rusher.

Garrett is coming off a historic 2025 season in which he produced an NFL-record 23 sacks, 33 tackles for loss and 39 quarterback hits.

The performance earned him his second Defensive Player of the Year award and reinforced his status as arguably football's most disruptive defensive player.

Los Angeles envisioned pairing Garrett with three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, who came out of retirement in August.

Donald didn't play against San Francisco as the Rams continued preparing him for his return to game action.

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That makes Garrett's absence particularly painful.

The Rams entered 2026 believing their defensive front could become one of the NFL's biggest matchup problems. Instead, after one game, they're scrambling to get healthy while trying to avoid letting an 0-1 start become something much more damaging.