Los Angeles Rams star Myles Garrett sat out most of training camp with an undisclosed knee injury, and it appears it was still affecting him in his team debut.
Garrett did not record a stat in the Rams’ Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. It’s very rare to see the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year have that little impact on a game, and he admitted afterward that his knee was still giving him issues, per Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post:
“This was the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there,” Garrett said after the season-opening loss. “I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to find a way to recover and to get back to the player I know I can be and that I’ve shown I’ve been before.”
“I wasn’t the player I wanted to be,” Garrett said. “I didn’t feel like I was the player I’ve been before when I stepped onto that field. I got to do what I can to get back to that.”
It’s not clear exactly what the knee issue is for Garrett, but he obviously was focusing on it when he was on the field:
“When I was out there, I was a little bit more focused on myself, trying to stay healthy, not what they were doing,” Garrett said. “That showed. I wasn’t what I needed to be for me and my team.”
Sean McVay was under the impression that Garrett was healthy and ready to go, so hopefully the communication will improve moving forward to avoid a similar situation happening again.
Myles Garrett focused on getting knee back to full health
As the Rams now return to the states to get ready for their Week 2 matchup with the New York Giants, Garrett’s main focus is on getting that knee back to 100%:
“Getting healthy,” Garrett said when asked what he needs to do. “That’s the main thing.”
The Rams don’t play until Monday night in Week 2, so the hope is that will give Garrett enough time to rest and recover. If he isn’t feeling 100% though then the organization should definitely be cautious with the greater goal of competing for a Super Bowl in mind.
Obviously Garrett will be a big factor in the Rams reaching their goals, but if he isn’t healthy then he won’t be able to make a the impact the team was hoping for when they acquired him in a blockbuster trade this offseason.
