Rams star Myles Garrett likely will not return to practice next week

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Star edge rusher Myles Garrett is eligible to return from injured reserve next week, but the Rams probably will wait to open the 21-day window for him to rejoin the roster, coach Sean McVay said Saturday.

“It’s kind of week to week in terms of how he feels, but I would say it’s more likely that we do not start his clock next week,” McVay said after practice.

Garrett, the reigning NFL defensive player of the year, has been sidelined since undergoing left knee surgery after the Rams’ season-opening defeat by the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. He sat out games against the New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles and must remain sidelined for Monday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium.

The Rams play the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 18, followed by a game against the Raiders in Las Vegas, a game against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium and a game at Washington.

Aaron Donald, who missed the Rams’ win over the Eagles last week because of a back injury, expects to play Sunday against the Bills.

Garrett, 30, has been participating in team meetings and rehab work. McVay said once the record-setting pass rusher is “hitting all the benchmarks,” the Rams will monitor how his knee responds to football-related activities.

“That’s when you can really talk about, ‘OK, he’s going to play football for us and things of that nature,’” McVay said.

The Rams acquired Garrett in a June trade that sent outside linebacker Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick and other future picks to the Cleveland Browns. But Garrett was a limited participant in training camp and preseason workouts because of knee irritation.

After not recording a tackle against the 49ers, Garrett said it was “the worst version of myself that I put out there.”

Because Garrett is “feeling so good” post surgery, McVay said he expects the next phase to be “an accelerated process.”

“It’s just really how quickly can ‘the Alien’ get up to speed for us,” McVay said.

McVay said he wants to see how Garrett’s knee responds positively to football-related activities and drills, that “put him in a position to join the group and be the guy that we’re accustomed to seeing.”

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Gary Klein covers the Los Angeles Rams for the Los Angeles Times. Before that, he covered USC’s football program and athletic department. He began working for The Times in the San Fernando Valley edition and has reported on high school, college and pro sports. He grew up in Southern California and graduated from Cal State Northridge.