Sean McVay says Rams’ season opener made it clear Myles Garrett needed knee surgery

Sean McVay says Rams’ season opener made it clear Myles Garrett needed knee surgery DAN GREENSPAN LOS ANGELES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO Open this photo in gallery: Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett (95) tries to get past San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Colton McKivitz, left, in the first half of their season-opening game in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday. DOUG BENC/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. After spending time during training camp trying to manage Myles Garrett’s knee injury, it was the Los Angeles Rams’ dismal season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers that made it evident to everyone that the star defensive end needed surgery. Garrett did not record a tackle or sack while playing 61.5 per cent of the defensive snaps in the Rams’ 27-7 defeat in Melbourne, Australia. Coach Sean McVay said Monday that conversations with Garrett immediately after the game last Thursday made it clear he couldn’t go on without an operation. The Rams could get some help soon on the defensive line, though it’s not clear yet when Aaron Donald will be ready to play. “We had been aware of this, thought it [Garrett’s knee] was something he would be able to work through,” McVay said. “Obviously, being out there and playing in a real game, you learn like, ‘Hey, maybe that’s not the case. So let’s change course with that.’” McVay did not have an updated timeline for Garrett’s recovery beyond the four-game minimum that comes with being placed on injured reserve, pending the results of the procedure. Garrett missed much of training camp because of what had been described as swelling in his knee, but McVay has not elaborated on the exact nature of the injury. The Rams acquired the reigning AP defensive player of the year from the Cleveland Browns in a blockbuster trade for pass rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks in June, knowing that Garrett’s workload had been carefully managed in recent seasons. That was acceptable to McVay, who has frequently limited practice time for veteran players to maximize their game-day performance. “The reality is our job is to put our players and our team in positions to have successful outcomes. Thought we would take an approach where he’d be feeling good enough to go contribute positive change and be the player that he’s capable of. That wasn’t the case, and so the next right…