LOS ANGELES — Throughout the first few days of Rams training camp, Myles Garrett has made a stark impression on his teammates.
First, it was cornerback Trent McDuffie who called the presence the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year brings on the field as aura.
“He’s gigantic,” McDuffie said. “He’s a monster.”
And then it was guard Kevin Dotson who described Garrett’s presence as aura, who chuckled over the idea that he wouldn’t have to try and contain Garrett on the edge, leaving the job up to the tackles.
“We trust our tackles to do their job, but I don’t trust any other team to do that,” Dotson said. “I don’t trust anybody else to feel confident in their tackle that week. I feel like they’re going to overdo it, mess up how their offense really works.”
Safety Quentin Lake, a defensive captain over the past two seasons, noted Garrett’s aura in the meeting rooms, taking down notes as he learns a new playbook following his nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns before the blockbuster trade that brought him to the Rams.
“He’s a workhorse,” Lake said. “… I think everybody knows, like, Myles is going to do what Myles is going to do. There’s no question if whether he’s going to dominate or not. So, now it’s just making sure, ‘Hey, can we do our job so this guy can go cut it loose over there, too?’”
When asked about his new teammates using the word aura as a descriptor for him, the 6-foot-4 Garrett couldn’t help but laugh. Garrett’s hypothetical “aura,” he said, isn’t something he’s conscious of. The 30-year-old edge rusher, still getting acclimated to life in L.A. – he has yet to move into a new home, he said – saw the declaration as an ultimate sign of reverence from his new teammates.
“It’s great to hear that they have respect for me,” Garrett said Wednesday after the fourth day of training camp. “That’s what I get from that, because I have a lot of respect for them and how everyone goes about their business here. So, it’s very appreciated. There’s a lot to be done, a lot of rust to knock off, and maybe the aura will increase over time.”
Stressing an open dialogue with his teammates since arriving in the swap that sent well-liked outside linebacker Jared Verse and three draft picks to the Browns, Garrett said Wednesday that he wants to learn from his peers in order to create “chaos” in the backfield. If chaos is on the table for the Rams heading into the 2026 season, then the potential addition of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald – should the franchise icon elect to come out of retirement – would generate plenty throughout the league and opponents’ offensive gameplans.
Garrett said he has not spoken with Donald – Rams coach Sean McVay said Tuesday that Donald’s decision is not imminent – and did not want to push him toward a decision either way. He did say, however, that if Donald does decide to return to the Rams that he would be his “partner in crime.”
“I think we can do great things,” Garrett said of the possibility. “But it’s a difficult thing coming back, and I know he has a family, he has a lot of decisions to make. Last thing he needs is me to push him one direction or another. I’m going to support him either way, and I look forward to seeing whatever happens.”
When comparing what training camp with the Rams is like after nine summers with the Browns, Garrett said the difference in vibes can be tracked to “a culture that’s a little bit more set in stone and with leaders all across the board.”
“You see a lot of older veterans here who have had a lot of years here or a lot of years in the league and been able to learn things and develop who they are as a person, as a teammate, as a leader, and they’ve helped instill a great culture here,” Garrett said. “And so I think that’s something that’s already ingrained and I can help to nurture, but it’ll take time.”