Aaron Donald returned to the practice field on Sunday afternoon for the first time since retiring after the 2023 season. Earlier in the day, he announced he was coming out of retirement to play for the Los Angeles Rams again, earning a spot on their 53-man roster.
Sean McVay has made it clear that the team will take it slow with the 35-year-old superstar, not rushing anything regarding workload or playing time. But with the start of the regular season just over a week away, Donald has to ramp things up quickly in order to be ready.
ESPN's Dan Graziano reported on "NFL Live" Tuesday that Donald is more likely to make his debut in Week 2 or 3 than in the opener against the 49ers in Australia.
“Their Week 1 game is against the 49ers in Australia,
and that game is nine days from today, so you can’t rule anything out obviously with Aaron Donald," Graziano said. "And the Rams aren’t going to rule him out in terms of playing Week 1 – at least not yet. I would say based on everything I’ve been told, a Week 2 or 3 debut looks more likely than Week 1. But again, it’s still on the table. And in terms of workload, they’ll watch his snaps. Obviously, they have a lot of depth on that defensive line, even just beyond him and Myles Garrett, so they feel they have the ability early in the season to watch his snaps and count his snaps.”
“A Week 2 or 3 debut looks more likely than Week 1.”@DanGrazianoESPN on when he believes Aaron Donald might step onto the field for the Los Angeles Rams 👀 pic.twitter.com/eFlGhVFTZV
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 1, 2026
McVay said there's "absolutely" a chance Donald won't play in the Rams' first game, but he "wouldn't rule anything out yet." He reiterated that the Rams are taking it a day at a time with Donald, not putting any firm timelines on his return to the field.
In his first practice on Sunday, he only did individual drills, and the Rams gave him a planned day off on Monday. He's unquestionably in terrific shape, but is he game-ready? That's what Donald and the team must figure out.
The Rams do have a roster exemption for Donald until Friday, Sept. 11, so that helps in determining whether he'll be available to play, allowing them to keep him on the 53-man roster without taking up a spot that could be used on someone else.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: When will Aaron Donald play his first game? ESPN insider shares new details
