Aaron Donald feels great. Better, in fact, than he expected after two full seasons away from football.
One week into one of the most fascinating comebacks in NFL history, Donald is encouraged by how quickly his body has responded and how little rust he has felt.
“I feel great,” Donald said Monday.
That, however, does not mean the future Hall of Famer will play in the Rams’ season opener against the 49ers on Thursday night in Melbourne, Australia.
It does not even guarantee Donald will board the team’s 16-hour flight.
With kickoff only days away — and the Rams scheduled to leave Tuesday — the question of whether No. 99 will make the trip remains unanswered.
“We’re going day by day,” Donald said, echoing the Rams’ organization-wide message. “We’ll come up with a game plan and see what’s going on.”
Pressed specifically on whether he would travel, Donald offered no clues.
“I’m feeling really good. Feeling great,” Donald said. “Come up with a game plan and see what’s going on.”
That the possibility remains alive at all is remarkable.
Donald is 35 years old and has not played an NFL snap since the Rams’ playoff loss to the Lions in January 2024. He spent the past two seasons retired, removed from the daily physical punishment of football and everything required to prepare for an NFL season.
But Donald never allowed his body to drift too far from playing condition. Over the past 14 weeks, he intensified his training and pushed himself to determine whether a comeback was physically realistic.
The early returns have been encouraging.
There is a significant difference, however, between being in elite physical condition and being ready to play defensive tackle in an NFL game. Weight-room strength and conditioning are only part of the equation. Donald must reacclimate his body, eyes and mind to the speed and violence of 11-on-11 football.
The Rams also have no reason to rush him.
Their goal is not simply to get Donald onto the field against San Francisco. It is to position him to remain healthy and effective throughout a season in which they expect to contend for a Super Bowl.
Part of which meant Donald sitting out the on-field portion of the Rams’ workday Monday and instead working behind the scenes on his cardio and other body maintenance.
“I haven’t played football in two years, so you’ve got to be smart,” he said. “Even if I feel good, you still have to be smart.”
If Donald is cleared to play, his workload would almost certainly be limited. Maybe the right number is 20 snaps. Maybe it’s 25.
The Rams could deploy him selectively, particularly in obvious passing situations, giving Donald opportunities to affect the game without asking his body to immediately absorb a full workload after two seasons away.
Donald isn’t concerned about how many snaps he plays or what his role might look like.
“Whatever my role is, I’m going to go out there, play at a high level and do my part. It’s a team sport,” Donald said.
For perhaps the first time in his career, Donald also returns to a defensive front talented enough that he won’t be asked to carry it.
Myles Garrett commands attention off the edge, while Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Poona Ford and Braden Fiske give the Rams a deep, versatile collection of run defenders and pass rushers. That depth will allow the Rams to rotate Donald, protect him from unnecessary wear and deploy him in situations where he can be most disruptive.
It also creates a potentially terrifying dilemma for opposing offenses. Devote extra blockers to Donald and Garrett gets a favorable matchup. Slide protection toward Garrett and Donald could find himself 1-on-1 inside. Focus too heavily on either one and the Rams’ younger defensive linemen will have opportunities to make plays.
Donald has spent most of his career as the centerpiece of the Rams’ defense — the player opponents built their protection plans around and the one Los Angeles counted on to wreck games.
This time, he would join an ensemble cast rather than carrying the entire production.
“So, there’s no pressure on me,” Donald said. “I can just go out there, play free, play ball, let the game come to me, play with the guys around me, help them, they help me, and hopefully we have a lot of success this season.”
Even in a reduced role, the possibilities are tantalizing.
Before the Rams can contemplate how to use him, however, they must decide whether to use him at all this week or wait until Week 2 when they welcome the Giants to SoFi Stadium on Sept. 21 for “Monday Night Football.”
Donald’s body may provide every answer he hoped to hear. The final and most important one — whether he is ready to play Thursday night — has yet to arrive.
Until it does, Donald and the Rams will keep waiting.
So will everyone else.
