New Aaron Donald Rumors on When Rams 'Hope' Star DT Makes Season Debut amid Comeback from Retirement

Los Angeles Rams fans have been anxiously awaiting the return of legendary defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and it appears he could be ready to go for Week 2.

ESPN and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that the "hope" is that Donald will be on the field for Monday's matchup against the New York Giants (35-second mark).

Donald signed with the Rams in August after initially retiring after the 2023 campaign, but it was to be expected that he would need some ramp-up time before playing.

He didn't travel with the team to Melbourne for their matchup against the San Francisco 49ers as he worked to get back in shape after two years off. The Rams could have used the former Defensive Player of the Year, as they lost their season opener 27-7.

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Head coach Sean McVay addressed Donald's season debut on Monday but didn't give a definitive answer as to when he'd be back on the field.

"We haven't decided that yet," McVay told reporters. "He's going to continue to work his process and we'll see what that looks like."

Luckily for the Rams, they have an extra-long week since they played on Thursday and won't play again until Monday, so Donald has even more time to get ready for his first game back with Los Angeles.

While the Rams surely aren't rushing Donald back, there is a bit of urgency now after it was reported that star defensive end Myles Garrett would undergo arthroscopic knee surgery that will require a stint on the injured reserve.

Garrett had a dissapointing debut with his new team, logging no sacks, tackles or pressures, and his knee injury shed some light on why he wasn't playing at his typical level.

"Thought we would take an approach where he'd be feeling good enough to go contribute positive change and be the player that he's capable of," McVay told reporters of Garrett's injury. "That wasn't the case. And so the next right thing for us is to be able to get this thing fixed."

With Garrett set to miss at least four games, potentially having Donald on the field in Week 2 will help the Rams avoid a 0-2 start.