Myles Garrett held out of Rams' joint practice with Cowboys; Puka Nacua leaves early with injury

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Defensive end Myles Garrett was held out of the Los Angeles Rams' joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, while wide receiver Puka Nacua left the workout early because of an apparent injury.

Sean McVay said Garrett did not participate as a precaution because of swelling in his knee, which has the two-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year who was acquired in a blockbuster trade in June feeling 85% healthy, according to his new head coach. Garrett missed time earlier in training camp because of what McVay described as lower body soreness.

The Rams are still learning how to manage Garrett's workload in practice. The Cleveland Browns limited reps for Garrett later on in his tenure, allowing him to play in 83 of a possible 85 games over his final five seasons there.

“I don’t know what 100% is going to look like, but it must be pretty good if that’s 85%,” McVay said. “He’s so tough, he wanted to be able to be out there. ... There’s nothing to be concerned about. It was just kind of us erring on the side of caution. There wasn’t any setbacks, anything like that.”

Nacua came out of practice accompanied by team trainers, but McVay did not have an update on what happened to his No. 1 receiver who had 129 receptions for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

“I'm not exactly sure what was going on with him, but I thought ‘J Witt’ (Jordan Whittington), Konata Mumpfield did a great job stepping in,” McVay said.

Both McVay and Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer came away pleased with how their defenses performed against each other's high-powered offenses during the nearly two-hour session.

Coming off seasons where the Rams and Cowboys each struggled to stop the pass and made significant changes to overhaul their respective secondaries, the initial returns against live opposition were promising.

“I thought it was a battle,” Schottenheimer said. “You know, they had their plays, we had our plays. It's what a joint practice should look like.”

Cowboys reserve linebacker Justin Barron was the day's standout performer by intercepting Rams starting quarterback Matthew Stafford once and backup Stetson Bennett twice, while cornerback Shavon Revel continued his strong camp by breaking up passes intended for Nacua and Davante Adams.

Dak Prescott couldn't see what Dallas' defense was up to, but the star quarterback could hear it.

“I'm looking forward to watching it,” Prescott said. “I know I heard the cheers and the hollering, could tell it was our guys. Obviously, they've been doing it to us throughout camp and getting after it, so it's cool to see just that energy, that identity continue.”

Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie did the same on the other field by frequently frustrating the Cowboys' passing game, and safety Quentin Lake came up with a late interception on Prescott's throw intended for George Pickens in a red zone drill.

It was the first of two joint practices for both teams, with the Cowboys and Rams each set to work with the New Orleans Saints next week. Dallas will host New Orleans at its Oxnard, California, training camp base on Tuesday, and Los Angeles is set to do the same at its team complex in the San Fernando Valley one week from Thursday prior to their preseason game.

“These are opportunities for us to grow, even though we don't game plan,” McVay said. “We're just kind of testing our rules, but there was a lot of good stuff, really, from both sides.”

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Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, center, talks with Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay during an NFL football joint practice, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, right, takes a snap as Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer watches during an NFL football joint practice, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, left, greets Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during an NFL football joint practice, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, right, talks with Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay during an NFL football joint practice, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Rams linebacker Nate Landman, left, shakes hands with defensive end Myles Garrett during an NFL football joint practice against the Dallas Cowboys, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears safety Coby Bryant will miss four to six months after he had surgery on his injured left knee, coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday.

Bryant, signed to a $40 million, three-year deal as a free agent this offseason, was expected to be an important part of a revamped Chicago secondary.

Johnson said Bryant had surgery Friday without disclosing details of the injury. He did not rule out the possibility that Bryant would return this season.

“I got to see him today,” Johnson said. “He’s going to be in a hurry to get back to help us out there at the end of the year.”

Bryant was hurt at practice on Aug. 3. ESPN initially reported that he could miss eight to 10 weeks, but the team never confirmed that timeline.

Chicago let All-Pro safety Kevin Byard leave for Buffalo in free agency and signed Bryant, who spent four years with the Seattle Seahawks. He was the starting free safety for last year's Super Bowl-winning squad.

“Coby is the template for how we all want our team to play,” Johnson said. “He was a big part of offense, defense and special teams, the mentality, the mindset, his approach. We loved everything about him.

“It certainly takes us back a little bit but it also provides opportunity for other guys to fill that void and it might be guys we hope to prod along a little bit.”

Former Dallas and Tennessee safety Xavier Woods was signed last week and immediately went in as a replacement for Bryant. He intercepted quarterback Caleb Williams in his first full practice.

“He’s a veteran player, he’s played a lot of football, been in a few different schemes,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. “He’s been a productive player.”

Woods played for Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris in Dallas at the start of his career.

“So there’s some familiarity there with him,” Allen said. “And, I just think, right now, we needed another veteran piece back there in the back end, specifically at the safety position.”

The news about Bryant comes as the Bears deal with several less serious injuries. Chicago is preparing to host Cleveland on Saturday in its first preseason game.

Wide receiver Luther Burden suffered a groin injury last week and Johnson said he’ll miss the rest of training camp and the preseason, but will return for the start of the regular season.

Johnson also updated the injury status of starting left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, who suffered a patellar tendon injury last January in a playoff victory over Green Bay. Trapilo is progressing well, and Johnson wouldn’t rule out his return to practice by the end of preseason.

The Bears have been practicing without defensive end Montez Sweat, left tackle Braxton Jones, backup safety/cornerback Cam Lewis and backup safety Elijah Hicks. All of those injuries except for Hicks are considered day-to-day. Starting slot cornerback Kyler Gordon remains on the physically unable to perform list after a calf injury before training camp.

The Bears turned to rookie fourth-round pick Malik Muhammad in the slot last week and he continues to work with the starters in that role.

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Chicago Bears defensive back Coby Bryant speaks during news conference at the team's NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Lake Forest, Ill. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)