MELBOURNE – The National Football League is set to make landmark history this week as it hosts its first-ever regular-season game on Australian soil, but one major question still hangs over the Los Angeles Rams ahead of their opening-week clash with the San Francisco 49ers: will future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald take the field?
Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed Friday, as the team wrapped up early preparations for their long-haul journey from Southern California, that the entire 53-man roster will travel Down Under for the contest at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. However, he stopped short of confirming whether the recently unretired 35-year-old superstar will suit up for the historic matchup.
Donald’s unexpected return to the NFL sent shockwaves through the league last weekend, just two and a half years after he walked away from the game following a legendary 10-season career with the Rams that included 10 Pro Bowl selections, eight First-Team All-Pro honors, and a Super Bowl victory. Since coming out of retirement, the star defender has been working aggressively to rebuild his game conditioning, and McVay acknowledged Friday that Donald has made striking progress in his comeback push.
Still, the final call on his availability won’t be made until the team assesses how he handles the intensity of practice and travel over the coming days. “I don’t have that answer quite yet,” McVay told reporters. “His ramp-up process has gone really well – he’s so intentional about his training rhythm and daily routine. This week will be a critical indicator of how he feels, and we’re going to take it one day at a time to evaluate where he’s at. If he feels good enough to go, that’s great. If not, I have full confidence that the rest of our defensive line group, who have put in all the reps through camp, will step up and perform.”
The Rams received more positive injury updates on two other key stars ahead of the game: star pass rusher Myles Garrett, who missed more than a dozen training camp reps with muscle soreness and a minor knee issue, is still on track to start in Melbourne. Dynamic All-Pro wide receiver Puka Nacua, who suffered a core muscle injury three weeks ago, has also cleared key recovery milestones and is expected to play. “He’s feeling really good,” McVay said of Nacua. “He’s already hitting high-speed drills at a great pace, and it’s going to be exciting to have him back out on the field with us.”
The two NFC West rivals have taken starkly different approaches to preparation for the most geographically distant game in NFL history. The Rams are completing their full training camp week at their Woodland Hills, California facility, and will not fly to Australia until less than 48 hours before kickoff. The game is scheduled for Friday morning Melbourne time, which is Thursday night for U.S. audiences. The 49ers, by contrast, traveled to Australia earlier this week and have conducted all their on-site preparation locally to acclimate to the time zone difference.
McVay defended the Rams’ schedule, a strategy the team has refined during previous international trips to London and Mexico City, even as he acknowledged that this journey is unprecedented in its distance. “At the end of the day, our approach comes down to one simple question: what do we think is best for our players, to put them in the best position to play at their best?” McVay said. “There are a lot of different theories and approaches to this, but I have a lot of trust in our group and the plan we’ve put in place. Hopefully it pays off, and I know our guys are confident in what we’re doing.”