Published September 11, 2026 09:54 AM

It’s one thing for Rams defensive end Myles Garrett to make no impact in his first game with his second team. It’s quite another to hear Garrett explain the reasons for his struggles.

“When I was out there I was a little more focused on myself and trying to stay healthy than what they were doing, and it showed,” Garrett said.

That’s alarming. And unusual. Typically, players don’t play if concerns about their health become a distraction to the task at hand. It’s fair to wonder why Garrett played — and why the Rams didn’t intervene and stop him from playing.

It’s also fair to wonder whether the Rams knew about Garrett’s circumstances. If they had, the Rams may not have used him for six special-teams snaps, hopeful he’d show off his ability to block a kick, or two.

The urgency to play was surely very, very strong for Garrett. It was the biggest move of the offseason. Garrett, who had wanted to be traded by the Browns for years, finally got his wish. The transaction made the Rams the presumptive Super Bowl favorites. It got Aaron Donald to come out of retirement.

And then, in Week 1, Garrett had the same impact on the game that Donald did, even though Donald didn’t even make the trip.

A player should be at his healthiest in Week 1. For Garrett, he’ll need to get to 100 percent with a fresh train on the tracks, each and every week. With the bye not coming until Week 11, Garrett has nine more games to go until he gets extra time to recover.

Fans and media spend most of the offseason pondering the hypothetical regarding the season to come. Once the games begin, the practical takes over. Through one game, the practical impact of Garrett was far below what it could have and should have been.

The clock is now ticking toward Week 2, vs. the Giants. And Week 3, at the Broncos. And Week 4, at the Eagles. And Week 5, vs. the Bills.

Will Garrett, now 30, have a chance to get his body to where he wants to be? If not, how loud will the questions become about whether the Rams may have been better off if they’d kept Jared Verse?

The volume will also depend on Verse’s performances for the Browns, starting in two days at Jacksonville.

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Myles Garrett's comments, usage are concerning

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