The San Francisco 49ers are a handful of days away from their Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 10 at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. Moreover, the Niners will be the first team to face Myles Garrett in a Rams uniform in a regular-season game.
Nonetheless, the question will be whether Aaron Donald will be playing alongside Garrett. Donald is practicing to see whether his body can handle an NFL season after two years off.
The veteran defensive tackle’s potential comeback has been one of the major storylines this training camp and preseason. However, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah made a prediction about Donald that would bode well for the 49ers.
“What’s the rush?” Jeremiah said on the Aug. 24 edition of “The Dan Patrick Show.” “You’re not bringing in Aaron Donald to see if you can win a game in Australia. Hey, [the Rams] need [Donald] for December and January and beyond, maybe [he goes to Australia for the game against the 49ers] to do some snorkeling.
“I don’t think he plays in that game. Maybe he signs before then. I don’t think so. If it was me, if I’m Les Snead looking at this thing, going, like, don’t even think about 17 games.”
Niners Might Face Aaron Donald Later in the Year
The Rams and Niners will meet again later in the year on Dec. 13, and that’s when San Francisco should expect to be facing Donald, at least that’s what Jeremiah believes should happen.
“I know [Donald has] been working out, and [the Rams] had [Donald] in for a couple workouts, but to get yourself in real game shape, if [the Rams] brought [Donald] in here, you could take a month or six weeks,“ Jeremiah added.
“Just practice a couple days a week, get yourself ready to go, and then maybe we get to the halfway point of the season, [the Rams will] start utilizing [Donald]. But you don’t need them for 17 games. Like why do that?”
Are the 49ers Being Cautious With Nick Bosa?
Meanwhile, the 49ers are dealing with their injury situation on defense, as Nick Bosa has been dealing with tendinitis. Nonetheless, even with this situation, KNBR’s Larry Krueger believes it’s a precaution rather than a serious issue.
“I’m not saying there’s no discomfort there,“ Krueger said on the Aug. 12 edition of 49ers Collective. “I’m just saying I’m not worried. They don’t sound like they’re worried. If you said to me, ‘Do you think it’s legit or bogus?‘ I think it’s bogus. I think it’s bogus. I think this guy’s got no more guaranteed money on his deal.
“They’re not prepared to give him an extension. He’s not prepared to hold out. So, it’s kind of the, ‘Hey guys, guess what? You need me when you need me, and that’s when I’ll be here.‘ And until then, because the reality is any single time you put on those cleats and run out there, it all can end, and you never get to go again.
“They’re just limiting their exposure. Let’s just leave it at that. Limiting his exposure so they don’t have to play him and potentially get him hurt because they don’t realistically have anything close to him as a backup. He’s fine. He’ll be there Week 1. He looked amazing. That’s my read.”
49ers Get Major Aaron Donald Prediction for Rams Game in Australia