Aaron Donald could be closing in on a decision to return to the Rams. And based on the optimism expressed by head coach Sean McVay on Friday, there is growing belief that the most dominant defensive player in franchise history may not be done just yet.
“Things are going in the right direction,” McVay said after the Rams wrapped up day five of training camp. “And if there’s an arrow, it’s turning upwards.”
No decision from Donald is expected until after the Rams return to their Woodland Hills facility from Loyola Marymount University, where they are spending the first two weeks of training camp.
And no exact date or timeline has been established for when Donald will make his triumphant return and join newly acquired pass-rush demon Myles Garrett on a star-studded defensive line.
But McVay did say there have been some “loose conversations” between the Rams and Donald on some different return dates.
“I want to keep those between us, just, you know, if something unforeseen happens out of respect for him and the situation,” McVay said. “But that’ll be something that I think, once we get back to Woodland Hills, we’ll have a better idea of what that timeline looks like.”
The 35-year-old Donald has been retired the last two years, but the Rams’ acquisition of Garrett and the club’s very real Super Bowl aspirations have prompted him to contemplate coming back to lend a helping hand — a move that would instantly reshape expectations and rekindle the identity of a defense once built in his image.
For nearly a decade, Donald was the cornerstone of the Rams’ defense and one of the most disruptive forces in the NFL. A three-time Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time All-Pro and Super Bowl champion, he overwhelmed offenses with a rare combination of power, quickness and relentless intensity. From his arrival in 2014 through his retirement, Donald was the standard by which all interior linemen were measured.
