Sunday brought about confirmation of the Aaron Donald‘s long-awaited Rams reunion. The future Hall of Famer will play in 2026 after two years in retirement.
Attention will now turn to the matter of Donald’s conditioning and his ability to become a regular contributor throughout the season. The Rams will begin the campaign in Australia against the 49ers, and the timing of Donald’s return has created a small window of opportunity for him to participate in team practices leading up to Week 1. Head coach Sean McVay declined to put a firm timeline in place for regular-season action.
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“I’m not going to talk about any sort of plans, it’s going to be a day at a time for us,” McVay said during yesterday’s press conference (video link). “What does that mean for Australia? The first step was, alright, if you’re coming back, let’s do that, let’s get you back on the practice field, let’s get you acclimated to your teammates, to your coaches. And then we’ll see what that ramp-up period looks like, whether or not he’s available or whether or not we think it’s best to play him in Australia.”
The possibility of a Donald return represented a central Rams storyline through much of the offseason. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year confirmed yesterday (via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry) he contemplated a Rams reunion when he saw the aggressive nature of their spring acquisitions. The trade for edge rusher Myles Garrett along with the arrivals of cornerbacks Trent McDuffie (acquired via trade with the Chiefs and subsequently extended) and Jaylen Watson (added in free agency) highlight the win-now approach taken by last year’s NFC runners-up.
Donald added (via Thiry) he has spent roughly 14 weeks taking part in individual drills and workouts with the intent of making an NFL return. The 35-year-old said he has known for approximately the past two weeks that he would be committing to an 11th NFL campaign. Even a part-time workload in 2026 would add to a Rams defensive interior already featuring Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske atop the depth chart. The play of those two, coupled with Garrett and fellow starting pass rusher Byron Young, will be interesting to monitor as Donald enters the mix.
A two-game roster exemption has been issued for this case, as noted by the Ringer’s Tom Pelissero. Donald will need to be moved to the active roster no later than September 11 as a result as the Rams sort through their options following this weekend’s cuts. Los Angeles had been preparing for contingencies on the 53-man roster with Donald’s future still unclear leading up to Sunday. Based on his remarks, though, a full slate of games for 2026 cannot be ruled out.
“Do I feel like I can play at a high level?” Donald said yesterday (video link). “Do I feel like I can still be myself? 100 percent. If I didn’t feel like that, I wouldn’t be here… I’m not here to be given nothing. I earn any position that I’m in. Whatever that is, whatever my role is, I’m going to earn it.”
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