Aaron Donald came out of retirement in the offseason, and the Los Angeles Rams still do not know if he will be ready for Week 1. Head coach Sean McVay was noncommittal on Thursday, listing the future Hall of Fame defensive lineman as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.
Donald returned in the spring after two years away from football and signed a heavily incentivized one-year deal with a base close to the veteran minimum. The move was framed as a chase-a-ring situation, with Donald pointing to the Rams’ 2024 playoff run as the reason he wanted back in.
The problem is he is 35 and asked his body to do something no one has ever done before. Coming back at this level after two full years away is unprecedented, and Donald has been managed carefully all camp. He played only a handful of snaps in the preseason and has not scrimmaged live since mid-August.
McVay said the decision will be made Saturday morning after Donald goes through a full walk-through. The Rams do not want to trot Donald out for one game and then lose him for four weeks with a soft tissue injury, and every rep in September is being weighed against every rep in January.
Even a limited Donald changes the entire game plan for Houston. When he is on the field, offensive coordinators throw out their standard protection scheme and build custom looks just to keep him from ruining plays. C.J. Stroud is one of the best young quarterbacks in the league, but he has not faced anything like a healthy Donald in his career.
The Rams’ defensive line depth is real. Kobie Turner is a legitimate interior threat. Jared Verse is one of the best young edge rushers in football. Byron Young has taken the leap into a full-time starter. Donald was signed to be a difference-maker, not a savior, which lets the Rams be patient.
If Donald sits, expect Neville Gallimore and Bobby Brown to get the extra reps. Neither has Donald’s ceiling, but both are functional starters who will not embarrass the defense.
The bigger question is what Donald can be over 17 games. Fans hope for 60 percent of the peak. Realistically, even 40 percent of vintage Aaron Donald is a top-ten interior defender in the league. The Rams will find out soon whether the comeback is really about winning a ring or about proving he still could.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
