Aaron Donald’s highly anticipated return to the NFL will have to wait.
Rams coach Sean McVay announced on Tuesday that Donald will not play in Thursday night’s season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, ending days of speculation about whether the future Hall of Famer could complete his comeback on one of the league’s biggest international stages.
The decision is not necessarily a setback, nor does it change the Rams’ long-term expectations for Donald. It simply reflects the extraordinary challenge of preparing a 35-year-old defensive lineman to play an NFL game after two full seasons away from football.
Donald rejoined the Rams only recently after spending roughly 14 weeks training for a possible return. Although he has repeatedly said he feels better than expected, conditioning on his own is vastly different from preparing to battle NFL offensive linemen at full speed.
The Rams were never going to jeopardize the rest of Donald’s season—or his health—simply to rush him onto the field in Australia.
Donald’s absence leaves the Rams without the dramatic centerpiece they hoped to unveil against their NFC West rival. It also means Los Angeles must lean on its existing defensive front to pressure Brock Purdy and contain Christian McCaffrey.
Although with newly acquired Myles Garrett leading the Rams defensive line, that is a far less daunting prospect.
The comeback remains on. The grand opening has merely been delayed.
Donald has already cleared the biggest hurdle by deciding he wants to play football again. Now the Rams must make sure that when No. 99 finally returns, he is prepared to remain on the field rather than merely making a ceremonial appearance.
