The Los Angeles Rams are traveling to Melbourne, Australia for their Week 1 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
One of their prized offseason additions, veteran defensive tackle Aaron Donald, is not expected to make the trip and will miss the Week 1 contest as a result, per multiple reports.
Donald re-joined the Rams during the 2026 NFL offseason after spending the last two seasons retired. The eight-time All-Pro officially inked a deal with Los Angeles on Aug. 30, just ahead of the league's 53-man roster deadline, and began preparing to make his season debut.
Donald had just over a week to get ready for Week 1 after joining the Rams. While he has begun the ramp-up process, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reports the 35-year-old's decision to sit out
Week 1 is about ensuring he will be able to last the entire season.
"The goal is to be in it for the long haul, a season that could stretch into February," Rapoport wrote in a post to X.
So, Donald will focus on getting on the field in Week 2, when the Rams play the New York Giants in Los Angeles on "Monday Night Football."
Meanwhile, the Rams will rely on Braden Fiske, Poona Ford and Kobie Turner to head up their interior defensive line rotation against the 49ers in Melbourne.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaron Donald won't play, travel with Rams to Australia for Week 1. Here's why
