Rams' Aaron Donald out of Australia opener; Week 2 home date with Giants his next chance
The most anticipated return in the NFL will wait one more week. Aaron Donald will not travel to Australia for the Rams' Thursday night opener against the 49ers and will be inactive for the game, Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported on T…
Posted
The most anticipated return in the NFL will wait one more week. Aaron Donald will not travel to Australia for the Rams' Thursday night opener against the 49ers and will be inactive for the game, Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday — with the Rams opting to give the star defensive tackle more time to ramp up before his first game action in two seasons.
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter): Sources: Rams standout DT Aaron Donald will not travel to Australia for Thursday night’s opener against the 49ers and will be inactive, per me and @rapsheet. The Rams want to give Donald more time to ramp up before making his much-anticipated return after two seasons of retirement.
Rapoport described the goal as being in it for the long haul — a season that could stretch into February — with Donald back on the field and working himself into football shape rather than being rushed into an opener he wasn't quite ready for.
Donald himself had been sounding upbeat as late as Monday. Asked repeatedly whether he would play in Australia, he said "I feel good, I feel really good," with a wide smile — but made no promises.
Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_): Asked several times about whether he’ll play in Australia, Aaron Donald said, “I feel good, I feel really good,” with a wide smile. But no promises.
The schedule now offers a cleaner landing spot. Donald's next chance to play comes in nearly two weeks, when the Rams return home to host the Giants on Monday Night Football in Week 2 — a home debut under the Monday night lights instead of a season opener across the Pacific.
The Rams had kept the door open on the trip all along. Sean McVay had said all options were on the table for Australia, including Donald not making the trip at all, depending on how the ramp-up went, and the two-game roster exemption granted at his reinstatement gave Los Angeles built-in flexibility to let the timeline play out. Rather than push a future Hall of Famer onto the field on short prep, the Rams will let the ramp-up finish on its own schedule.
Thursday night in Australia, they will face the 49ers without the player who was their defensive centerpiece for a decade. Myles Garrett's availability carried its own question mark through the summer before he rejoined practice over the weekend, so the shape of the Los Angeles pass rush for the opener was still settling even as the news on its biggest name resolved. Whenever Donald does debut, it will be at home, with the ramp-up complete and a full season still ahead.