When the Cleveland Browns traded away Myles Garrett back in June, a deal that was widely panned from Cleveland’s side of things, there is no evidence that the team knew Garrett might be damaged goods. The Rams did their due diligence, passed Garrett in his physical, and sent off Jared Verse plus a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick.
Now, on one hand we have yet to see Verse provide much impact in the pass rush for the Browns, as he is without a sack in his first two games. He has had pressures, which has been the hallmark of his career to date, but he’s had trouble finishing the deal with sacks, something he vowed to change in 2026. He hasn’t, and for a team that traded away the single-season sack leader to get Verse, that’s not good enough.
But Garrett’s situation is, without question, worse.
Ex-Browns Star Needed Surgery
That’s because Garrett, after joining the Rams in the blockbuster offseason trade from the Browns, was found to have a left knee issue once training camp going rolling. He sat out much of training camp, a rare thing for a player who had played at least 16 games in each of the past five seasons.
Rams coach Sean McVay said Garett was about “85%” and suggested the team was being cautious. But Garrett played in the season opener for the Rams in Australia and did not look like himself. Two weeks ago, he was set for surgery.
The hope was that he would be back in four weeks. That is not looking like the case, though.
Myles Garrett Wants to ‘Beat Timeline’
And it looks like Garrett won’t play again in the first half of this season. That’s according to ESPN’s Ian Rapoport, who cited sources saying the former Browns star will need six weeks to recover.
Wrote Rapoport on Sunday morning: “Myles Garrett, the subject of one of the NFL’s biggest blockbuster trades in recent memory, was given a timeline of roughly six weeks for his recovery from knee surgery, sources told NFL Network. The Rams placed Garrett on injured reserve earlier this month after the two-time Defensive Player of the Year hobbled through Los Angeles’ season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.”
Rapoport notes that Garrett’s new timeline would have him back for Week 9. He wrote, too, that Garrett is “determined to beat the timeline.”
Browns’ Myles Garrett Trade Evolves With Latest Bad News