Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Byron Young sat out the team’s second practice of training camp while managing a knee issue that has lingered for years. The decision to hold him out comes as the Rams work to carefully balance his workload early in the offseason program.

“I practiced yesterday. I don’t want to do too much and overload our workload,” Young told reporters, via Blaine Grisak of Rams on SI. “We’ve got a plan to just take some time and get back out there in a couple of days.”

The same knee bothered Young throughout the 2025 season, appearing on injury reports in the second half of the year and continuing to cause soreness during the playoffs.

In the Rams’ Divisional Round playoff victory over the Chicago Bears, he played a limited number of snaps, and he sat out practices leading into the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks before ultimately taking the field in that contest.

Head coach Sean McVay indicated at the time that the soreness was not expected to sideline him for the championship game and later suggested Young would not require a procedure to address the knee once the season ended. Six months later, the Rams are still managing the issue with caution.

The careful handling makes sense given Young’s importance to the defense. Last season the former third-round pick delivered the best performance of his career, posting career highs of 82 tackles, 12 sacks and 29 quarterback hits while starting every regular-season game.

Those 12 sacks led the Rams, and he earned his first Pro Bowl nod along with a ranking of No. 84 on the NFL’s Top 100 Players list as voted by his peers.

The surrounding roster has shifted significantly since then. Los Angeles traded away Jared Verse as part of the deal that brought in Myles Garrett, positioning Young opposite one of the league’s most dominant pass rushers.

The presence of Garrett is expected to create more favorable matchups for Young if opposing offenses focus extra protection on the former Defensive Player of the Year. That dynamic only heightens the value of keeping Young healthy and available.

Depth remains available if needed. Josaiah Stewart is positioned to absorb additional work during periods when Young is limited. Still, the Rams have constructed their starting pass-rush duo around Garrett and Young, making the latter’s availability a key factor as the team pursues championship aspirations.

Young’s comments indicate the current absence is expected to be short-term, yet the long-standing nature of the knee problem means his status will continue to draw attention throughout training camp and beyond as the coaching staff works to keep a recurring issue under control.

Hopefully, the 28-year-old is perfectly healthy for the regular season.