The Rams’ edge-rush plan took a hit before it ever really got rolling.
Myles Garrett will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery and go on injured reserve, leaving Los Angeles without him for at least the next four games and, at minimum, through Week 2. The timing matters because the Rams already made a major pass-rush bet to get here: they traded multiple draft picks and Jared Verse to acquire Garrett, and now the only immediate return on that move is an injury designation.
That is the part of the story that hangs over everything else. Garrett is out, Verse is out, and the Rams are left trying to answer the same question with a much thinner margin for error: who rushes the passer now?
Josaiah Stewart is the clearest answer for the moment.
With Garrett sidelined, Stewart is set to start alongside Byron Young, giving the second-year edge rusher a much larger role than he had at this point a year ago. Stewart’s rookie season offered a real foundation — three sacks, 22 tackles, a forced fumble and two passes defensed — and Pro Football Focus gave him a 75.9 overall grade. He also fits the Rams’ 3-4 base front more naturally as an outside linebacker, which is part of why this opening looks so different from a simple injury replacement.
It is also a test of whether the Rams can survive the stretch without the player they paid to anchor the edge.
McVay said the team made the injured reserve decision after discussing Garrett’s ability to impact the game, and he does not yet know the full timeline for Garrett’s return after surgery. The current expectation is at least four weeks, with a possible return in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals if recovery goes well. Garrett’s own postgame comment after Week 1 underscored that the issue was already affecting him: he said he was “not the player I wanted to be during the game.”
That leaves the Rams with a short-term problem and a longer-term one. They traded for Garrett to strengthen the pass rush, but the roster now has to function without both Garrett and Verse, the young edge rusher they moved in the deal. For now, the Rams have only an injury designation to show for that trade.
Stewart’s opportunity is the clearest silver lining. He was productive as a rookie, and now he moves from promising depth piece to starter in a defense that needs someone to hold the edge together while Garrett recovers. The Rams do not have a replacement for Garrett’s name value or the price they paid to get him. They do, at least for now, have a chance to see whether Stewart can turn a sudden opening into something more.