Aaron Donald hasn’t put his name on a Rams roster since March 2024. He also hasn’t stopped showing up at the team facility. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year worked out with Los Angeles twice this month, and according to multiple reports, an actual decision on whether he plays in 2026 could come within days.
Donald’s first session came on Aug. 5, an official workout reported to the NFL’s transaction wire, CBS Sports reported. He wore a helmet but no pads, and used team equipment at the Rams’ facility during training camp. NBC Sports reported the session, unlike a prior visit, went through official league channels — meaning it had to be logged, not that the team was formally evaluating him for a roster spot.
Four days later, new clips surfaced. HITC reported that footage posted by a training account (@210ths) on Aug. 9 showed Donald running through speed, footwork, and conditioning drills alongside current Rams defensive tackles Braden Fiske and Desjuan Johnson.
Fans didn’t hold back reacting to it. Multiple people compared Donald’s footwork in the new footage to clips from his final season in 2023 and came away split. Some saw no drop-off; others figured a 35-year-old body is still a 35-year-old body, however sharp the footwork looks on video.
Sean McVay isn’t tipping his hand either way. Speaking as players reported to training camp, the Rams coach said he genuinely doesn’t know which way this goes.
“He is going through his process, and he is putting himself in a position to make a decision, and he’s earned the right to be able to do that,” McVay said, via the Rams’ official site. “Anything that he does, he does all in, and so he’s going through a very strict, regimented process that was similar to what he did when he played.”
A separate quote attributed to a former Rams teammate — describing Donald as looking faster and hungrier in the recent workout — has been circulating, but it could not be independently verified through a live search at the time of publication. It’s included here only as an unconfirmed attribution and should not be treated as confirmed reporting.
Why the Rams’ Roster Moves Make This Bigger Than a Workout
Donald walking through drills wouldn’t generate this much noise if the roster around him hadn’t changed. Los Angeles acquired reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett this offseason, along with former Chiefs cornerback duo Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, Pro Football Rumors reported. That’s a defense already reshaped for a title run. Add a healthy Donald to a front that includes Garrett, Kobie Turner, Fiske, and Byron Young, and it stops looking like a depth move and starts looking like a nightmare matchup for opposing offensive lines.
NBC Sports’ Mike Florio reported Aug. 9 that Donald’s target decision timeline had shifted from early that week to the end of it — not because talks stalled, but because a decision this size, per Florio, might reasonably take a little longer to get right. If Donald does return, Florio reported the Rams would lean on the same gradual ramp-up plan they used after his 2017 and 2018 holdouts, with an eye toward 30-40 snaps in Week 1.
That Week 1 game is no ordinary opener, either. The Rams open the 2026 season against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia on Sept. 10, per Yahoo Sports. If Donald suits up, it would happen on a stage about as far from a quiet season debut as the NFL schedule allows.
Where Things Stand
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Aug. 5, 2026 | Official Donald-Rams workout, reported to NFL transaction wire |
| Aug. 9, 2026 | New workout footage surfaces showing speed/footwork drills |
| Week of Aug. 9-15 | Decision targeted, per multiple reports |
| Sept. 10, 2026 | Rams open regular season vs. 49ers in Australia |
Donald spent a decade with the Rams, won a Super Bowl, and retired as arguably the most disruptive interior lineman of his generation. None of that guarantees he plays another down. But between two workouts in five days and a defense built to make his return count, the Rams and their fans aren’t exactly discouraging the speculation.
