Sean McVay delivered a measured but clear message on Tuesday: the Los Angeles Rams will not open Myles Garrett’s 21-day practice window this week.
The head coach’s confirmation means the star outside linebacker will remain on injured reserve for Sunday’s home game against the Arizona Cardinals, extending an absence that began after the season opener.
Garrett underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on the Monday following the Rams’ Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and was placed on injured reserve shortly afterward.
He has now completed the mandatory four-game minimum required before a player can begin the return process.
Eligibility alone does not guarantee activation, and McVay’s latest comments indicate the organization prefers additional time.
Earlier in the week, the coach described Garrett as making good progress with a successful procedure, yet he framed the recovery as week-to-week rather than calendar-driven.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had suggested a roughly six-week recovery timeline that could place Garrett in position for a Week 7 return, a scenario that might have involved limited practice sessions this week.
McVay’s decision effectively pushes that possibility back. Once the Rams do open the window, they will have 21 days to activate Garrett onto the 53-man roster; failing to do so would require another stint on injured reserve.
The approach reflects a broader caution about returning the two-time Defensive Player of the Year to full performance rather than simply clearing him for limited participation.
The Rams have managed without Garrett so far, ranking near the top of the league in yards allowed while sitting closer to the middle in points allowed through five games.
Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart have handled the bulk of the edge snaps, with additional contributions from reserves. Still, the defense has yet to field its intended combination of pieces for an extended stretch.
Garrett has appeared in only one game for Los Angeles since arriving via trade, and even that outing came while he was less than fully healthy. Pairing him with Aaron Donald, who has been working his way back into the lineup, remains a longer-term objective the staff has not yet realized on the field.
For a team sitting at 2-3 and looking to stabilize its season, the choice underscores a preference for sustained availability later in the year over an accelerated return this week.
McVay has repeatedly emphasized that the priority is getting Garrett to the level of impact the organization expected when it acquired him, rather than inserting him before that standard is realistic.
The Cardinals matchup will proceed without him, and the focus now shifts to monitoring progress over the coming days to determine when the practice window might open.
