Aaron Donald last played in the NFL in 2023, and at a First-Team All-Pro level for his Los Angeles Rams, no less. As he was for the length of his iconic pro football career, Donald proved to be a menace.
Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a little longer to see Donald terrorize quarterbacks again. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer isn't even making the flight to Melbourne, Australia, for Thursday night's international matchup between the Rams and NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers. The reason being? The Rams want to give Donald more time to ramp up physically before he once again subjects his body to the inherent punishment that is playing NFL football, especially after two seasons off in a retirement he just ended.
That's all well and good
and completely understandable. But it does beg a critical question: When will Donald actually play for the star-studded Rams again? Well, we don't have to look too far.
After playing on September 10th, the Rams don't have another game until a home Monday night matchup on September 21st with the New York Giants. That's 11 more days for Donald to train and get ready for the rigors of an extended NFL season. It's also a home game against an opponent that might have a limited offense. He still might not be 100 percent by then, but I would be pretty surprised if Donald doesn't at least get some rotational snaps in that matchup to start accelerating his comeback. It makes too much logical sense.
So, in effect, Donald missing the 49ers' matchup is likely good news for Brock Purdy only in terms of opposing quarterbacks. If you're a quarterback on the Rams' remaining schedule after Week 1, you should expect to see the prolific defensive tackle in some capacity. Uh, good luck.
Who will start for Aaron Donald against the 49ers?
Expect Braden Fiske to play for Donald, who is listed as his backup on the Rams' official depth chart. Fiske is a former 2024 second-round draft pick.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: When will Aaron Donald actually make his Rams debut in 2026?
