Aaron Donald Gives Status Update for Rams vs. Giants Amid Rumors After Comeback From Retirement

Even though the Los Angeles Rams won't have Myles Garrett for a while due to a knee injury, they are likely going to have Aaron Donald in Week 2 against the New York Giants.

Speaking to reporters after Friday's practice, Donald said "that's the plan" when asked if he would be playing on Monday Night Football against the Giants.

Donald did not travel to Australia with the Rams for their Week 1 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The reasoning was they wanted to give him a longer ramp-up period as he returns to the NFL two years after his initial retirement.

After Donald took part in multiple workouts with the Rams during training camp, he officially rejoined the team on Aug. 30 by signing a one-year deal that could max out at $30 million.

Week 1 turned into a disaster for the Rams with a 27-7 loss to the 49ers. It marked their lowest point total in 75 games started by Matthew Stafford.

Adding injury to insult, four days after the loss, it was reported Garrett will be placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury that requires arthroscopic knee surgery. An IR stint requires him to miss at least four games, meaning Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals is the earliest he can return.

Now that Donald has confirmed he plans to play in Week 2, the next question is how frequently he will be on the field. It has been suggested he could play around 30-40 snaps per game, though it's unclear if that's what he will average over the full season or if he will start at that threshold and maintain it.

The Rams can certainly use any boost that Donald can provide going into a matchup with the Giants that looks more competitive now than when the schedule was first released in May.

New York is coming off an impressive 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. The Giants put up 394 yards of offense, including 165 rushing yards, and held the ball for nearly 37 minutes.

A loss would drop the Rams, who were strong favorites to win the Super Bowl coming into the season, to 0-2 with their next three games against the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.

Assuming Donald does play, it will be his first appearance in an NFL game sinceJan. 14, 2024. He made the All-Pro first team in nine of his first 10 seasons and won three Defensive Player of the Year awards.