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Sean McVay has plans for Rams if Aaron Donald is here 'and if he's not'

Rams coach Sean McVay has contingency plans for the team's roster if Aaron Donald returns or stays retired, with no urgency to rush his return.

First seen Aug 25, 2026 · 11:03 PM UTC · last updated Aug 26 12:35 PM

Scoring Zone's Take

Myles Garrett isn't actually part of this news item's substance — the source text only addresses Donald and the Rams' contingency planning — so there's no actionable change to his value here. Don't let the pairing in this cluster mislead your board; Garrett's ADP and outlook should be driven by Browns-specific reporting, not this Rams line.

Confidence is moderate (80% per the sources) on the framing itself, but the underlying uncertainty about whether Donald plays at all this season remains high. For draft purposes, treat Donald as a late-round, upside-only IDP flier rather than a core roster piece, and revisit his ranking once there's clearer word on an actual return timeline or a formal retirement confirmation.

Sean McVay has plans for Rams if Aaron Donald is here 'and if he's not'

As Aaron Donald continues to mull a potential return to the Rams, head coach Sean McVay isn't stressing over a deadline.

With final cutdown day arriving Sunday, McVay is maintaining hope he can welcome back the three-time Defensive Player of the Year for the Rams' Super Bowl-or-bust campaign, but is prepared for whether Donald returns or stays retired.

“We’ve had plans if he’s there, and if he’s not,” McVay said Tuesday, via the Los Angeles Times.

“Our thought process has been, ‘let’s look at a 53 with him and a 53 not including him and what does that look like. Whenever a decision is made, if that is the direction he goes where he wants to play, then we have plans accordingly and if not we have plans for those as well.”

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Contingency plans are common at this time of the season, especially as general managers are confronted with difficult decisions that must be made within the constraints of a 53-man roster. Los Angeles' is unique in that it will have one for the potential return of a franchise legend, but otherwise, it's business as usual.

Logically, Donald shouldn't be in a rush to return. He's toyed with the idea of unretiring since the Rams acquired edge rusher Myles Garrett and made visits to the Rams for workouts to test his physical capabilities, signaling he's leaning toward rejoining a Rams squad that is expected to contend for a Lombardi Trophy.

Urgency isn't vital, though. Donald doesn't need training camp to prepare himself to play a sport he dominated from 2014-2023, and the Rams don't need him to suit up for their Week 1 opener in Melbourne, Australia.

Donald's involvement is more about the end goal than the early tests.

“Haven’t even gotten into all of that,” McVay said of whether Donald might play in Week 1. “If he decides he wants to be able to do it, then the next conversations are, ‘What is your ramp-up? What does it look like to approach whenever that would be the first time that you think would make the most sense for him to impact and influence positive change with us.”

The Rams certainly aren't pinning their 2026 hopes on No. 99's involvement and have little reason to rush him into action until he's ready.

In the meantime, the extra roster spot will go to someone else. Just don't be surprised when Donald shows up looking like the same chiseled football god who struck fear in the hearts of opponents for decades.

Coverage from Nfl Dot Com News · by Nick Shook · Aug 25, 2026 · read original