The Los Angeles Rams welcome back a legend on Monday night with Aaron Donald set to make his season debut against the New York Giants. After being retired for the last two years, Donald is making his highly anticipated return in Week 2.
While the Rams won’t have Myles Garrett, Donald’s comeback will provide a spark to a defense that badly needs one. The question is, how much will Donald actually play in his first game since the 2023 season?
He’s acknowledged that his role will be more limited than usual, but he’s welcoming the idea that he’ll be “a lot more fresh” with a lessened workload. And while his snaps could increase as the season goes on, it could start out light on Monday.
How much will Aaron Donald play vs. Giants?
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network said on Sunday that he expects Donald
to play around 30 snaps against the Giants.
“He ramped himself up to the point where he is going to see the field a bunch,” Garafolo said. “This is not some kind of farewell tour or anything like that. This is Aaron Donald playing the way he knows how to play and the way he wants to play. I’m looking at around 30 snaps for him in his debut.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network shared a similar outlook for Donald on Monday morning, saying that he’s “probably going to play, let’s say, 20 to 30 snaps. That is going to be a big-time addition to their defense.”
From @GMFB: The #Rams welcome back DL Aaron Donald tonight vs the #Giants, but what about Puka Nacua? pic.twitter.com/jewE2FXfDu
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 21, 2026
Donald's last NFL game was on Jan. 14, a playoff loss to the Lions. He had three tackles but no sacks in that game, playing 51 defensive snaps.
In his career, he averaged around 55 snaps per game, with a share of 82% on defense. Both of those numbers will be lower to start this season but as the year goes on and Donald gets back into football shape, he could see more playing time.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: How much will Rams DT Aaron Donald play in return vs. Giants?
