The Los Angeles Rams need Aaron Donald more than ever.
However, it remains clear that the Rams have no plans on rushing the 10-time Pro Bowler out on the field.
“We haven’t decided that yet,” Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters when asked about Donald’s availability for Week 2 against the New York Giants, per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. “He’s going to continue to work his process and we’ll see what that looks like.”
“We haven’t decided that yet,” McVay said. “He’s going to continue to work his process and we’ll see what that looks like.”
McVay has been adamant that the Rams will progress at Donald’s pace.
After two years in retirement, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year admitted experiencing some rust in his first 11-on-11 session.
The Rams’ unfortunate setback with Myles Garrett–who will miss the next four games following arthroscopic surgery on his knee–will not alter their approach with Donald, and McVay has made that perfectly clear.
Nevertheless, opinions continue to flow about what they should do.
Former Rams DT to Hold Off on Aaron Donald
Even in the wake of Garrett’s injury, former Rams defensive tackle Leger Douzable pushed back on speeding up Donald’s timeline.
“My thing is, you can’t overreact because Myles Garrett is out. Aaron Donald … hasn’t played in two years. And I know, as a player, once you walk away from the game, your mind is usually dead set on it. There has to be something special to make you come back into the game. And then, not just the mentality, the physical rigors that you have to do to come back,” Douzable said on “CBS Sports HQ” on September 14. “I thought he would only come back if he could feel like he was going to be Aaron Donald.
“My thing is, why rush him back in? He missed all the training camp. Didn’t participate in any of those training camp practices. He missed last week because he didn’t travel with the team to Australia. I wouldn’t play him until at least October, just to make sure he’s gonna make it through the rest of the season.”
That timeline would put Donald’s debut in Week 4 on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rams Deliver Cold Truth About Aaron Donald Timeline Amid Strong Words