The NFL will have to wait at least another week to see Aaron Donald return to game action for the first time since the 2023 season. Donald will not play for the Los Angeles Rams in their 2026 opener on Thursday against the San Francisco 49ers, coach Sean McVay announced Tuesday. What's more, the star defensive tackle will not even travel with the team to Australia, according to ESPN and NFL Media.
Since he announced his return to football on Aug. 30, Donald has been in the midst of a ramp-up period that will now extend into at least Week 2. He was a regular at the Rams' facility even before he officially halted his retirement, as he conducted multiple workouts to determine his ability to step back into action after two years away from the game.
The longer Donald waits to make his season debut, the more likely it becomes that he is available deep into what could be a Super Bowl season. The Rams would clearly prefer their prized late-summer addition to be in the lineup during their postseason push if it means sacrificing a game or multiple at the start of the year.
When he does suit up for the first time this year, Donald figures to be an impactful cog in the defensive lineup. While it would be unfair to demand a return to All-Pro production, Donald played at that level up until his retirement at the end of the 2023 campaign, and considering he is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in NFL history, it would be no surprise if he immediately offered a difference-making impact in the trenches.
In the final season of his decade-long first run with the Rams, Donald racked up eight sacks and 16 tackles for loss en route to his eighth career first-team All-Pro selection. His statistics represented modest production in comparison to the gaudy numbers he logged at his peak, but they remained as stellar as the league had to offer at the defensive tackle position. How close he comes to replicating that caliber of play in his return will determine whether he takes an already loaded defense to an otherworldly level.
When will Aaron Donald make his 2026 debut?
With Week 1 off the table, the next opportunity for Donald to step into action does not come until Monday, Sept. 21. That is when Los Angeles hits the field at SoFi Stadium for its home opener on "Monday Night Football" against the New York Giants. The Rams will not play at home again until mid-October, so if Donald wants to debut in front of his own fan base, it will be either in Week 2 or not until Oct. 12 or later.
Here is the Rams' schedule through that second home game:
