The star defensive tackle did not practice Monday as the Los Angeles Rams continue to manage his return from a two-year retirement, with Rams coach Sean McVay declining to commit to whether he will even travel to Melbourne for the team’s Sept. 10 Rams season opener against San Francisco.
McVay said the rest day was part of the plan all along following his individual drill work Sunday in his first practice back. He said the staff is still working out the ramp-up schedule and that the team has not yet done 11-on-11 football with him. He acknowledged that if Aaron Donald is not ready for Australia, he simply will not go, adding that he would not want him playing unnecessarily for the Rams.
McVay reiterated that he wants to avoid putting a timeline on when Donald will play his first game after being retired for two years for the Rams. But he did not rule out the possibility of Donald not traveling to Melbourne. He described the situation as a unique one that has never been done before and said the team is taking it one day at a time.
Donald signed a one-year, $20 million deal on Sunday with playoff incentives that can raise the total to $30 million, agreeing to come back after retiring in March 2024 following 10 NFL seasons. He is 35 years old.
The ramp-up challenge
McVay said the first step is getting Donald into team settings and seeing what that looks like before making any decisions about his role or his availability. He said the player will help guide the process himself, and that maximizing his contribution while also protecting the other players in the defensive line room is part of the calculation.
The challenge of integrating a 35-year-old who has not played in two years is different from managing a typical training camp injury. He is physically capable of performing at a high level based on 13 to 14 weeks of preparation, but the on-field chemistry, timing and contact conditioning that come from sustained practice with teammates cannot be replicated in gym work alone.
Los Angeles opens the regular season in Melbourne in what is the NFL‘s first international game in Australia. The logistical demands of the trip, including travel time and time zone adjustment, add another layer to the decision about whether Donald should be on the roster for Week 1 or preserved for a slightly later debut.
Donald’s credentials
Donald is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, an eight-time first-team All-Pro, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and holds the Rams franchise record for career sacks. His 111 career sacks rank second among primary defensive tackles since individual sacks became an official statistic in 1982, behind John Randle’s 137.5. He joins a Rams defensive line that already includes reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, creating a combination no offensive line has faced before at the professional level.
McVay said when asked about his potential role with the Rams this season that much of it is contingent on how he feels once he is in actual team settings.
