Myles Garrett said he must improve after a difficult debut with the Los Angeles Rams, who opened the 2026 season with a 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia on Thursday.
The 30-year-old defensive end did not record a tackle, sack or quarterback hit as San Francisco controlled the line of scrimmage for much of the game. Garrett had joined the Rams during the offseason after the team acquired him from the Cleveland Browns.
Garrett, a former Texas A&M player and the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, accepted responsibility for his performance. "This was the worst version of myself that I've put out there," Garrett said. "I've got to be better. I 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."
A knee issue limited Garrett's work during training camp and left him short of full strength entering the opener. He said he did not feel like the player he had been previously and needed to work toward returning to that level.
The performance came after a record-setting 2025 season in which Garrett had 23 sacks, an NFL record, and won his second Defensive Player of the Year award. The Rams acquired him with expectations that he would lead a defense on a team considered a Super Bowl contender.
