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Aaron Donald had tryout with Rams to evaluate how he felt with helmet, pads on

Aaron Donald had a tryout with the Rams to assess his readiness for contact.

First seen Aug 05, 2026 · 9:00 PM UTC · last updated Aug 05 11:30 PM

Scoring Zone's Take

Aaron Donald's workout with the Rams is the kind of headline you file away rather than act on right now. Sources are split on the details—one says he worked out without pads, another says pads and a helmet were involved—but the throughline is consistent: this is an evaluation of his readiness for contact, not a confirmed comeback. Nothing here says he's signed, activated, or committed to playing in 2026.

For fantasy purposes, Donald is not a rosterable asset in any standard format—he's a defensive lineman, so his individual return has zero direct fantasy relevance unless you're in an IDP league. What it does matter for is your evaluation of the Rams' defense as a unit in IDP or best-ball-style DFS contexts, and indirectly for game-script assumptions if you're drafting Rams skill players. A healthy, motivated Donald anchoring that front would make the Rams defense more dangerous, which could mean more short fields and turnovers for the offense to capitalize on—modest, secondary value at best.

Given the offseason timing, treat this as a note to revisit in a few weeks, not a draft-day trigger. If you're in an IDP league, keep Donald on your watchlist rather than drafting him with real capital until there's confirmation he's actually signing and practicing in pads with contact drills. Confidence here is moderate—the "readiness for contact" framing across multiple sources suggests this is a real, ongoing evaluation, but the conflicting pad details mean you shouldn't treat a return as locked in yet.

Aaron Donald officially works out for Rams as potential comeback nears

Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett addresses the media at 2026 NFL Training Camp.

The Aaron Donald comeback talk is not going away.

The three-time Defensive Player of the Year, who last played in 2023, worked out for the Rams on Wednesday, per the NFL transaction report, which officially labeled it a "tryout" on the daily wire.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Donald wanted to work out in a helmet and used the Rams’ equipment at the team’s facility, requiring the activity to be reported to the league. The all-time great defensive tackle did not wear pads during the session, per Schefter.

"Did it come across as a tryout?" Rams head coach Sean McVay said during an on-site interview with NFL Daily's Gregg Rosenthal and Jourdan Rodrigue. "Best tryout we've ever had."

"I think he could make the team."

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McVay said last week that no decision from Donald would come during training camp, but mentioned, regarding Donald’s status, that things were “going in the right direction.”

Rumblings of a potential return for Donald surfaced in June after the Rams’ blockbuster trade for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, and the chatter has only intensified in the weeks since that Donald could return to the team for whom he starred for 10 seasons.

It's not clear how much can be gleaned from a non-padded workout for a defensive tackle, but there’s no reason to doubt that Donald could return and wreak havoc as a 35-year-old on a defensive line loaded with talent.

"That was honestly our way of being able to get a workout with him within the parameters of what's necessary," McVay said Tuesday on "NFL Daily." " ... (Run game coordinator/defensive line coach) Giff Smith said it's the greatest tryout he's ever had."

Getting back into playing shape might take time, but even a slightly diminished Donald would be a welcome addition on any NFL roster. With a front line featuring Donald, Garrett, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford and Byron Young, Los Angeles would be the envy of the league and a weekly nightmare for opposing offensive lines.

Now we wait for an official announcement from Donald on what his plans are for 2026.

Coverage from Nfl Dot Com News · by Dan Parr · Aug 05, 2026 · read original