McVay: Rams will not start Myles Garrett’s 21-day practice window this week

With the Rams preparing for the Cardinals at SoFi Stadium in Week 6, Sean McVay said the team is keeping outside linebacker Myles Garrett’s return process on hold and clarified other availability plans along the offensive line.

By The Apex Times Newsroom2 min readAI-assisted Apex article

Rams head coach Sean McVay said the team will not open outside linebacker Myles Garrett’s 21-day practice window this week as Los Angeles prepares for the Cardinals on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Week 6. When asked Tuesday whether the club would start Garrett’s clock, McVay said, “we will not, not this week.”

McVay’s comments follow similar messaging from last Saturday, when he described Garrett as making progress but said the organization was not ready yet to commit to when a practice-window clock would begin. He also said the knee surgery Garrett underwent “went really well,” while adding that the remaining timeline is still based on how he feels from week to week.

Garrett has been on injured reserve since Sept. 17 after undergoing knee surgery three days earlier. McVay framed the process as a distinction between returning to play and returning to performance, describing benchmarks the team wants to hit before he would be placed in alignment with football activities.

On the offensive line, McVay addressed a separate availability change. He said offensive lineman Alaric Jackson will serve a two-game suspension for an unsportsmanlike conduct incident after Monday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, and that David Quessenberry will start at left tackle in Jackson’s place. McVay indicated Jackson plans to appeal.

McVay also said the Rams will start offensive lineman Keagen Trost’s 21-day clock and that the team expects him to return this week. Trost was placed on IR before the 53-man roster deadline on Aug. 30 with a hamstring injury sustained during the Aug. 15 preseason game against the Chiefs.

Why It Matters

By keeping Garrett from the practice-window timeline this week, Los Angeles is indicating continued caution with his knee return process ahead of a key divisional matchup at home.
The left tackle shift creates a clear short-term role for Quessenberry, directly affecting the Rams’ protection and run-game matchups versus the Cardinals.
Starting Trost’s clock suggests the Rams view his hamstring as readying for a return within the Week 6 timeframe, which could reshape the interior or tackle depth plan.

Sources

Key Facts

Sean McVay said the Rams will not open Myles Garrett’s 21-day practice window in Week 6.
McVay’s “we will not, not this week” response was given when asked about starting Garrett’s clock Tuesday.
Garrett has been on IR since Sept. 17 following knee surgery performed three days earlier.
McVay said Alaric Jackson’s two-game suspension will sideline him, and David Quessenberry will start at left tackle.
McVay said Keagen Trost’s 21-day clock will begin, with an expectation that Trost returns this week.