“Myles Garrett’s absence,” Sara Bishop wrote when ESPN power rankings panel members were asked to identify the primary defensive issue for the Los Angeles Rams, capturing the exact void left by the reigning defensive player of the year as the team slipped from a preseason top spot down to eighth in the weekly standings.
The Los Angeles Rams entered the NFL season carrying the highest expectations of any roster, earning the number-one spot in early preseason polls after a spring spent acquiring the record-breaking edge rusher. Yet five weeks into the schedule, a 2–3 record and an eighth-place ranking reflect a team playing without its most destructive defender, whose arthroscopic knee surgery has kept him sidelined since the opener.
Head Coach Sean McVay Defers the 21-Day Return Clock
Sean McVay made it clear ahead of a home matchup against the Arizona Cardinals that the team would not initiate Garrett’s 21-day practice return window that week. While noting that the player’s surgical procedure went smoothly and describing his rehabilitation progress with a lighthearted comparison—remarking that the edge rusher went from using crutches to walking without them like a fast-healing wolverine—the head coach maintained a strict boundary regarding the timeline.
LA Rams Roster Moves:• Reserve/Injured OLB Myles Garrett pic.twitter.com/9CmljGQwdB
“I know he’s going to be out at least four weeks. We’re not going to rush him back,” McVay said, emphasizing the critical distinction between being medically cleared to play and regaining peak playing form. Opening the 21-day window triggers an official clock requiring the team to activate the player from the injured reserve list or lose him for the remainder of the season, a risk the franchise refuses to take while his knee continues to recover.
The Cost of Acquiring a Record-Breaking Pass Rusher
The pursuit of Garrett reshaped the roster during the offseason following a historic campaign with the Cleveland Rapids—where he notched 23 sacks to break the single-season record previously shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt—and earned his second Defensive Player of the Year award. Driven by a stated desire to chase Super Bowl titles rather than individual milestones, Garrett requested a trade, prompting Los Angeles to deal edge rusher Jared Verse alongside their 2027 first-round pick, 2028 second-round pick, and 2029 third-round pick on June 1.
That heavy investment immediately hit turbulence when knee trouble limited Garrett throughout training camp. He managed 40 defensive snaps in the season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia without recording a statistic before undergoing arthroscopic surgery and landing on the injured reserve list.
Defensive Struggles Mount Without the Edge Star
In the four games following Garrett’s absence, the Rams posted a 2–2 record, culminating in a 37–34 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football where Harrison Mevis had a potential game-winning 48-yard field goal blocked before Buffalo secured the victory with a 45-yard kick. Analyst evaluations across major networks highlight the cascading issues across the unit, noting that the team has accumulated only eight sacks—tied for the sixth-fewest in the league—while struggling against the run and committing untimely penalties in crucial moments.
While reports from outlets such as The Athletic indicated the team initially hoped for a return around the Arizona Cardinals contest or a subsequent matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, the organization has consistently prioritized long-term health over immediate power-ranking perception. McVay continues to watch a different clock entirely, preferring to absorb temporary drops in weekly polls rather than saddle his prized defensive weapon with an unforgiving 21-day recovery deadline.
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