Aaron Donald Returns After 981 Days for Rams' Week 2 Opener as Myles Garrett Misses 4 Games
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Sep 22
Aaron Donald Returns After 981 Days for Rams' Week 2 Opener as Myles Garrett Misses 4 Games
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Sep 22
Summary
981 days after his last NFL game, Aaron Donald is set to play Monday night against the Giants, completing a two-season comeback after sitting out the Rams' Australia opener.
Donald said the Rams' June 1 trade for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett helped spark his return, though Garrett's knee surgery now has him on injured reserve for at least four games.
At 35, Donald delayed his debut until he could handle back-to-back full practices, saying the Rams wanted him smartly ramped up rather than rushed into action.
Los Angeles also expects to use Donald in a lighter role than the 76.46% snap share he played before retiring, aiming to keep him fresh over a long season.
Even after missing 2024 and 2025, Donald still ranks second in pass-rush wins since 2017 and would join Deion Sanders as the only five-time first-team All-Pros to return after a 750-day layoff.