Aaron Donald has confirmed that he is returning to the Los Angeles Rams, but his status for Week 1 is yet to be determined.
Donald is traveling to Melbourne, Australia with the Rams for their season-opening game against the San Francisco 49ers. However, it has not yet been determined if or how much he will play in that game.
That includes Aaron Donald, who is still TBD on playing. https://t.co/2iaYovqPhr
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 4, 2026
Presumably, Donald will be pushing to play. However, it may realistically be too tough to get him up to speed for an NFL game this quickly given his late decision on returning. It is possible that he may not even see the field until Week 3.
Donald did say he was relatively aware that he would return for two weeks before officially announcing it. He also kept himself in shape during his retirement, so the expectation is that it will not take him too long to get into full playing shape.
Even if Donald does not suit up for Week 1, the Rams have an embarrassment of riches on their defensive front. Myles Garrett will anchor the group along with Braden Fiske, Poona Ford, Kobie Turner, and Byron Young.
