The Los Angeles Rams remain hopeful that edge rusher Myles Garrett will return to practice sooner rather than later. As the Rams prepare for their Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, Garrett is nearing a potential return. While the Rams haven’t established an official timeline, outside reports have consistently pointed to a six-week recovery.

After missing the Rams’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Garrett has officially missed six games and is now just over six weeks removed from knee surgery. A six-week timeline was always seen as a worst-case scenario for Garrett, and he has now reached that point. Still, McVay remained mum on Garrett’s potential return to practice this week. 

“I'm not sure yet. I have not decided on those things,” McVay said. “Once I get with Reggie and talk about the approach for the week. Then I will follow their guidance based on where he's at and how he's feeling.”

Late last week, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported that Garrett was likely to return to practice this week and could play in Week 8. McVay even said on Friday that Garrett returning to practice next week was a possibility, but that he’d wait to talk to Garrett and the team’s training staff to come to a decision. 

It’s no real surprise that the Rams remain coy on Garrett’s injury, as that’s how they’ve handled it since the beginning. Garrett was initially held out of practice late in training camp due to knee swelling. While he played in Week 1, Garrett didn’t feel like himself and was placed on injured reserve the following week. 

Before Garrett returns, the Rams will want to be sure that he is fully healthy and ready to practice. They’ve waited this long and will want to ensure that Garrett is at 100 percent when he gets back on the field.

McVay is scheduled to speak to the media again on Wednesday. At that time, McVay may have more information about Garrett’s status. If Garrett isn’t practicing by Thursday, it seems unlikely that he’ll return this week. When the Rams designated Keagen Trost to return from injured reserve, they opened his 21-day window on the Thursday before the game. 

If Garrett does return to practice and ends up playing this week, it would provide a huge boost to the defense. While the defense has played well, it has struggled to generate consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Rams rank 27th in sack rate this season.

With Garrett now more than six weeks removed from surgery, the focus shifts to when he will be cleared to practice and how quickly he can get back on the field. At 3-4, the Rams are entering an important stretch of their season and could certainly use Garrett back in the lineup as they look to build on their win against the Raiders.