Aaron Donald will not play for Rams in season opener vs. 49ers in Australia
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- Defensive lineman Aaron Donald will not travel to Melbourne, leaving the Rams without their three-time defensive player of the year for their season opener against the 49ers.
Defensive lineman Aaron Donald will not travel with the Rams to Melbourne to play in their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, coach Sean McVay said Tuesday.
Donald, who rejoined the Rams last month after a two-year retirement, wouldn’t confirm if he was planning to play in the season opener when asked multiple times by reporters on Monday, only saying he was “feeling really good. Feeling great.”
The development isn’t surprising considering McVay and his assistants weren’t pushing Donald to play. Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said Monday that the team was taking a “day-to-day” approach regarding Donald’s status.
The Rams’ decision to leave as late as possible for their Australian season opener against the 49ers is based in part on previous player experiences.
“I think he’ll be ready to go sooner rather than later, but we’re making a decision that we think is best for him and for our team,” McVay said. “He’s attacked this the right way, but it would have been a really quick turnaround.”
One person who might be surprised about Donald not playing is 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. He told reporters earlier this week he “definitely” expected Donald to play.
“I’ve never been more excited to be wrong about something,” Shanahan said Wednesday. “We’re going to have to see him eventually. ... I was preparing for the worst. And glad we don’t have to see him this week.”
Rams players and staff are scheduled to leave Los Angeles for Melbourne on Tuesday night, arriving in Australia on Thursday morning. The game will take place on Friday at 10:35 a.m. local time (5:35 p.m. PDT Thursday), with the Rams planning to fly back to L.A. soon afterward.
Barring any setback, Donald should play Sept. 21 when the Rams face the New York Giants at SoFi Stadium.
As Sean McVay enters his 10th season as Rams coach, his former assistants are leading the Packers, Bengals, Vikings, Jaguars and Cardinals as head coaches.
One player who is expected to take the field at Melbourne Cricket Ground is Myles Garrett. McVay said the star defensive end will be “ready to go” after a left knee problem kept him out of practice for multiple weeks before he returned Sunday.
“We’ve been smart with Myles ... but his impact has been tremendous, his overall vibe, what kind of teammate he’s been,” McVay said. “And so looking forward to getting him out there with the guys and being a great factor for us.”
Garrett said he felt “ready” to play despite not practicing Tuesday.
In addition to Garrett, cornerback Jaylen Watson also appeared on the Rams’ first injury report of the season after not practicing because of a toe injury.
Staff writer Gary Klein contributed to this report.
