The road to the playoffs became a little tougher for the San Francisco 49ers after their NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, acquired star pass rusher Myles Garrett in a blockbuster trade. Garrett is coming off a historic season in which he recorded an NFL record 23 sacks, giving the Rams an even more formidable defense heading into 2026.

While the move certainly grabbed headlines, 49ers offensive line coach Chris Foerster isn't panicking.


On Tuesday, when asked whether he immediately started reviewing Garrett's film after hearing the news, Foerster admitted, "I sure did."

The veteran coach acknowledged that the trade caught him off guard and prompted him to revisit Garrett's tape to refresh his memory of the dominant edge rusher's impact on opposing offenses.

"I just wanted to remind myself because it kind of came out of left field," Foerster said.

After studying the film, Foerster was reminded that while Garrett made his share of plays against the 49ers, San Francisco's game plan was effective in limiting the damage.

"He made a couple plays, and then you're like, 'Let me go back and look at the tape and see what it really was,'" Foerster said. "And he's a great player. He got after us, yeah, but we did have a plan. The plan was somewhat effective, and so, there's other ways to do things as well."


Although Garrett's arrival significantly strengthens the Rams' defense on paper, Foerster understands that NFL success isn't determined during the offseason. It's determined on the football field.

The 49ers won't have to wait long to see Garrett in his new uniform. San Francisco is scheduled to face the Rams in an international Week 1 matchup in Melbourne, Australia, providing an early test for Foerster's offensive line and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

For Foerster, the challenge is fairly straightforward: the 49ers must account for a game-changing edge rusher. That was already true with Jared Verse on the Rams roster, and it remains true with Garrett entering the NFC West.

"I think Myles Garrett, he's an all-time great pass rusher," Foerster commented. "He's an unbelievable talent, but it's still an edge rusher that you have to take care of."

Foerster remains confident that the 49ers can develop a plan to minimize Garrett's impact and protect Purdy.


"He's an outstanding football player, and he's going to be a challenge for us to take care of," Foerster said. "But we had a plan last year, you're going to do the best you can, and everybody has good players, and he's a great player. And it's good for them, helps them, and it'll be a good challenge for us."

H/t to Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated.



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