Myles Garrett Is Back: Rams Activate Reigning Defensive Player of the Year for Commanders Showdown

The wait is over. The Los Angeles Rams activated Myles Garrett from injured reserve on Saturday, and the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is expected to play on Sunday against the Washington Commanders — his first game action since Week 1. It has been a long road back. Garrett played forty snaps in the Rams' season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia, aggravated an existing knee injury, and underwent arthroscopic surgery in September. Seven straight games passed without him. The Rams could have activated him as early as Week 6, but he was nowhere near ready then, and the team refused to rush the most important piece of its defence. This week, finally, the signs turned. Garrett practiced all week, was limited on Wednesday and Thursday, and was given Friday off — and by Saturday he no longer carried an injury designation at all. Head coach Sean McVay told reporters on Friday that Garrett is expected to play, and his assessment of the week was glowing. "He has progressed really well, made a tremendous impact in practice on Wednesday and Thursday [and] feels really comfortable with the game plan," McVay said. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported that fans should expect Garrett on most passing downs, with early-down work depending on how he feels in his first game back. A snap count is possible; his exact limit is still to be determined. What makes the return matter is who Garrett gets to play next to. The Rams are 4-4 and have waited all season to pair their blockbuster offseason acquisition with Aaron Donald, who came out of retirement just before the season. When Los Angeles traded for Garrett, it gave up two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Jared Verse, a first-round pick in 2027 and two additional picks — the kind of price you pay for a player you believe changes games by himself. Garrett set the single-season record with 23 sacks in 2025, and the Rams' pass rush has felt his absence all year. Now, at last, the pairing the front office dreamed up gets its first real look, and it comes against a Washington offensive line that has had trouble keeping Jayden Daniels clean in recent weeks. The timing is no accident either. Sunday's trip to Landover is the kind of game that shapes a season for a .500 team, and the Rams did not stop at Garrett in Saturday's roster moves. They also activated running back Ronnie Rivers from injured reserve, while cornerback Jaylen Watson — a splash free-agent signing of their own — went to season-ending injured reserve. It is the churn of a roster trying to get healthy at the right moment, and Garrett is the headline of it. The Commanders will have spent the week game-planning for a defence without him. On Sunday, they will get the real thing instead.