The waiting game on a potential Aaron Donald return is officially dialed up to eleven in Los Angeles! The defensive tackle, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, just worked out with the Rams for the second time this month. Talk about a bombshell! This move suggests he and the team are really starting to figure out if he can suit up for the 2026 season after all.
McVay’s Measured Optimism: No Timeline, Just Hope
Rams coach Sean McVay is walking a tightrope with this whole situation. He’s made it crystal clear he wants Donald to make a decision “sooner than later,” but he’s also holding back from slapping any kind of deadline on the announcement. After a Saturday preseason game, McVay said he’s “hopeful that it will be sooner than later,” but he really wants to respect Donald’s process in finding that clarity. He even said he thinks “there’s a chance that we’ll be closer to that than not,” but doesn’t want to create any “invisible deadline.” It sounds like a coach who desperately wants his star back but knows he can’t push too hard.
Donald’s initial appearance at the Rams’ facility was on August 5, and the team had to report his activity on the NFL transaction wire because he was actually using team equipment. That’s the closest he’s come to an official practice since he retired at the end of the 2023 season. McVay confirmed the team would welcome Donald back with “open arms” if he decides to play, but stressed that Donald “has earned the right to be able to say he knows himself” on whether he can still perform at an elite level, stacking back-to-back days. The coach mentioned they have “loose things” like identified dates they’d like to hit, but no “unnecessary pressure.”
The Ultimate Test: Can A 35-Year-Old Donald Dominate Again?
Donald has been considering a comeback since early June, right around when the Rams made that huge trade for star edge rusher Myles Garrett. We’ve all seen the workout videos he posted on social media during his retirement, and the dude was clearly still in excellent shape during his two years away from the game. But let’s be real, going from workout videos to NFL game shape, especially at 35, is a whole different beast. He needs to prove his body can handle the insane rigors of being an elite defensive lineman. Every single workout in Los Angeles is a critical data point for Donald and the Rams’ staff. He has to demonstrate to himself, and everyone else, that he’s still got it.
The Rams’ defense already looks legit for 2026 after the Garrett trade and bringing in cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Seriously, they’re projected as a top-flight unit. But imagine adding arguably the greatest defensive tackle of all time back into that mix. That would absolutely further solidify Los Angeles’s status. The stakes couldn’t be higher for Donald and the Rams. We’ll all be watching to see if this waiting game finally ends with No. 99 back on the field.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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