Myles Garrett rips himself after dud of a Rams debut in loss to 49ers

Before defensive superstar Aaron Donald came out of retirement to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams for the 2026 season, the Rams' biggest move of the offseason involved acquiring two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns this past June. 

Garrett then produced a dud in his official Rams debut, as he failed to record a single tackle, sack or pressure in what became a 27-7 49ers win. Following the blowout defeat, Garrett acknowledged he didn't play as advertised in Melbourne, Australia. 

Myles Garrett "was the worst version of myself" against 49ers 

"This was the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there," Garrett said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to find a way to recover and get back to the player I know I can be, and I’ve shown that I’ve been before." 

The Rams traded edge-rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round choice to the Browns for Garrett, who set the single-season sack record (23) in Week 18 of the 2025 campaign. According to Sarah Barshop of ESPN, Thursday's game was Garrett's first without a tackle since Week 11 of the 2024 season and just the fourth of his career.

"I wasn’t the player I wanted to be," Garrett continued. "I didn’t feel like I was the player I’ve been before when I stepped onto that field. I’ve got to do what I can to get back to that." 

Was Myles Garrett healthy enough to play against 49ers?

Garrett missed most of training camp and the preseason with knee swelling, but he nevertheless was cleared to play in Thursday's contest. Following the loss, he acknowledged that he will focus on "getting healthy" ahead of the Rams' "Monday Night Football" home game against the New York Giants on Sept. 21. 

The Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys this coming Sunday night. 

"That’s the main thing," Garrett added. "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. I wasn’t what I needed to be for my team." 

Meanwhile, Rams coach Sean McVay insisted that Garrett was 100% healthy "to my knowledge." If that truly was the case, perhaps Garrett was impacted by the Rams' controversial travel plans that blew up in McVay's face.