Rams Will Reportedly Activate Myles Garrett for Week 9

Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett is reportedly set to return in Week 9. 

Garrett returned to practice ahead of the Washington Commanders, but returning to practice did not mean being activated from the IR.The usual case is a 21-day window being opened so players can take up to that long to officially rejoin the team after an injury.

Per multiple reports, Garrett will be activated early, and will return to play on Sunday.

Garrett has missed the last seven games due to a nagging knee injury that had to be corrected with surgery. Following the blockbuster trade for the defensive end, he arrived in Los Angeles but did not take part in much practice during the offseason program.

That was not the case leading up to Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. Garrett practiced in full and took the field.

The issue is that Garrett looked gassed, which was initially thought to be due to his missing practice through most of training camp. However, following the loss, head coach Sean McVay revealed that the defensive end needed surgery to correct the nagging knee issue.

Garrett was placed on IR as he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to correct the issue that had followed him in the offseason. 

Garrett missed Weeks 2 to 8, leaving the NFL world without the chance to see what he and future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald could do when playing at the same time. Now, the world will get to see just that. 

The Rams have had plenty of injury issues in 2026, losing defenders for the season and for multiple weeks. 

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner remains on IR due to a groin injury, while defensive tackle Poona Ford was lost for the season due to a ruptured triceps. Cornerback Jaylen Watson also joined Ford, as he will now be out for the season due to needing shoulder surgery.

With multiple key players out, the Rams have still managed to put together back-to-back wins and are now 4-4 this season. They are tied with the Seattle Seahawks record-wise, but are third in the NFC West due to losing on tiebreakers.

Los Angeles has turned things around in a significant way, and the defense may now get a huge boost with the return of Garrett. 

Donald has not logged a sack in 2026, but he has been in the backfield plenty. With both defensive ends now being able to take the field together, this could lead to the pass rush being even more dangerous.