LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams will soon have their biggest star back on the field.
They have opened the practice window for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, coach Sean McVay announced on Monday. He has 21 days until the Rams must either activate him from injured reserve or end his season, but the plan is to get him back into game action soon.
McVay added that tight end Terrance Ferguson, who hasn’t played since Week 3 with an ankle sprain, also has a good chance to practice this week.
Garrett has missed the past seven games with a knee injury that he suffered in training camp. He attempted to play the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, but recorded no stats and was quickly placed on IR ahead of knee surgery.
He was eligible to return after four games, but the Rams wanted to make sure he fully recovered. They will evaluate how he practices before deciding when to activate him, which means his status for Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders is up in the air. Part of his work will include building back into game shape after missing more than a month.
Garrett was the prize of the Rams’ offseason, when they traded Pro Bowl outside linebacker Jared Verse as well as first-, second- and third-round draft picks to the Cleveland Browns to land the two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Fresh off breaking the NFL’s single-season record with 23 sacks, Garrett arrived to the Rams and helped entice Aaron Donald to end his two-year retirement and return to play alongside him.
The two have yet to share the line together in a game, as Donald missed the season opener while ramping up. That time is coming soon. When it does, the Rams will become the first team in NFL history to have two players with 100 career sacks and a 20-sack season on the same defensive line.
Top Plays from Chargers @ Rams
Their hope is they can soon have a trio of Garrett, Donald and the other offseason blockbuster acquisition, All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, on the field together. Altogether, Garrett, McDuffie and Donald have missed a combined 11 games this season.
“Just knowing that we’re going to get him back on this team with a defense that’s already starting to go on the uphill is exciting,” McDuffie said.
Garrett would return at a critical time for the Rams, who are 4-4 after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. They are dealing with a rash of injuries that have sent wide receiver Davante Adams, defensive end Kobie Turner and defensive tackle Poona Ford to IR.
Garrett will look to ignite a pass rush that has managed just 12 sacks through the first eight games.
