The Los Angeles Rams had retired defensive tackle Aaron Donald do a little workout on Wednesday. A source told Pro Football Talk’s Myles Simmons that Donald wanted to test how his body feels in the gear again. He was seen in a helmet at the Woodland Hills facility, which has sparked speculation that he might be ready to rejoin the team.
Aaron Donald 💥 #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/ezbVvlcgmP
— LA Woman (@LAW0MAN) August 5, 2026
NFL insider Adam Schefter tweeted, “Aaron Donald worked out today for the Los Angeles Rams, per the NFL wire.”
JJ Watt, now working as the lead analyst for CBS, responded, writing, “Is there anybody (outside of the NFC West) that doesn’t want to see this happen? Would be incredible.”
Is there anybody (outside of the NFC West) that doesn’t want to see this happen?
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) August 5, 2026
Would be incredible. https://t.co/6XoQXWvjQq
The Rams recently added star Myles Garrett to their defense, which has fans excited to see the two of them together.
After the 2023 season, Donald retired after giving 10 years to the Rams and winning a Super Bowl. But he has continuously shown fans a glimpse of his fitness through his workout videos, and now he has joined the Rams to get back into shape for work. He, who is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year himself, would want to team up with two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Garrett to instill fear in other teams in the NFL league.
Head coach Sean McVay said on July 31 that Donald's training was “going really well.” Donald's workout is a technical process, so from now on, things can only be said step by step.
“He's putting himself in a position to make a decision,” McVay said. “And so, he's working hard, he's feeling good. He's really been doing some different things that are in alignment with being able to play this game, activating his lower half, and he's feeling good so far”.
Defensive coordinator Chris Shula said with a smile at training camp:
“I heard it was good. It was more (about) how he felt.... Obviously, we'd be really excited about that. You're getting one of the best players of all time. I have a great history with him. We know what a great guy he is”.
Garrett, who doesn't have personal knowledge of Donald's plans, said:
“Hopefully we'll link up here soon and I'll see where his head is at, and just break bread with him as well. I don't know how he's feeling. I don't know where he is in this process, but it is a process”.
The Rams' offense is already awesome, so the math changes with Donald because teams can’t double team 5 defenders at the line of scrimmage and off the edge. The linemen will try to double team Garrett on every snap, and the Rams will get one-on-one open opportunities with Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Ford, and Braden Fiske.
McVay said last week that he didn’t have any special expectations for decisions before the end of the training camp at Loyola Marymount University. The Rams will gather again in Woodland Hills on Saturday, after which there will be four more practice sessions in Woodland Hills before their first preseason game next week, and some clear information about Donald will become available. If Donald can even match his old performance, the Rams' defense will be dangerous, and yeah, with the Super Bowl being in Los Angeles, this opportunity is golden.