Rams' Aaron Donald: Rehab progressing ahead of Year 10
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Donald (ankle) shared a video Tuesday featuring himself working out and reiterated that he intends to play during the 2023 season, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.
Donald missed the last six games of the 2022 campaign due to an ankle injury, but the video he released Tuesday indicates that the star defensive tackle remains in good health. It's unclear whether Donald will be ready for the start of offseason workouts or will require more time to rehab, but the 31-year-old has confirmed that he will suit up in 2023, which will be his 10th season in the NFL.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Likely done for season
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Rams head coach Sean McVay said Donald (ankle) won't play Sunday against the Broncos and is unlikely to suit up again this season, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
Though McVay said Donald is "making good progress" in his recovery from a high-ankle sprain, the star defensive lineman has yet to resume practicing since suffering the injury Week 12 and will miss his fourth consecutive game Christmas Day. Given that the 4-10 Rams are eliminated from playoff contention, there's little incentive to expose Donald to further injury over the final three weeks of the season, so expect the 31-year-old to turn his sights toward returning at 100 percent health for offseason workouts. Assuming Donald doesn't play in Weeks 17 or 18, he'll finish his ninth NFL season with 49 tackles, five sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery over 11 appearances.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Sits out walk-through session
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Donald (ankle) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Donald missed his third consecutive game in Monday's loss to the Packers and may not be on track to make it back for this Sunday's matchup with the Broncos. With the Rams eliminated from playoff contention, they will presumably err on the side of caution with their star defensive lineman until the sprained ankle is firmly behind him.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Out against Packers
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Donald (ankle) won't play in Monday's matchup against the Packers, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.
Though the Rams are non-contenders at this point in the season, head coach Sean McVay has said that Donald won't be shut down. However, the Rams will err on the side of of caution with their star defensive lineman if his health is not up to par. As a result, he'll miss his third straight game due to the high-ankle sprain.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Sitting out to begin Week 15 prep
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Rams head coach Sean McVay said Donald (ankle) won't practice Thursday, Greg Beacham of The Associated Press reports.
Earlier in the week, McVay disclosed that Donald hasn't been shut down for the season, despite the 4-9 Rams' status as a non-contender. That being said, the fact that Donald still isn't practicing after missing his second straight game in last Thursday's win over the Raiders, suggests he's not trending in the right direction for the Rams' Week 15 game against the Packers on Monday. Michael Hoecht has handled snap shares north of 80 percent while Donald has been sidelined the past two games, recording eight tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble during that span.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Dealing with injury
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Rams coach Sean McVay said that Donald picked up an ankle sprain during Sunday's 26-10 loss to the Chiefs and is undergoing further testing Monday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Donald recorded three tackles while playing 79 percent of the Rams' defensive snaps versus Kansas City, though it's unclear when or how this injury first arose during the contest. McVay also emphasized that he did not have a definitive update on the defensive lineman's health, per Rodrigue, so the exact severity of this issue should come into focus following Monday's examinations. It also will be worth monitoring Donald's status on the Rams' first injury report of Week 12 this Wednesday.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Season-high seven stops
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Donald recorded seven tackles (four solo) including one tackle for loss during Sunday's 31-14 loss to the 49ers.
Donald played every defensive snap for the first time this season, as the Rams' struggled to slow down San Francisco's offense in the second half. After recording at least 12.5 sacks in each of the past four seasons, the star defensive end has logged just four sacks over the first seven contests of 2022. However, Donald could stand to terrorize Tampa Bay's depleted offensive line this coming Sunday.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Receives Week 6 injury tag
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Rams head coach Sean McVay said Donald (foot) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers, but the defensive tackle is expected to play, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
Even though Donald has missed the Rams' first two practices of the week due to the foot injury, the team apparently isn't too concerned that the star lineman will have to miss his first regular-season games since 2017, when he was rested for a meaningless Week 17 game. While Donald is unlikely to take part in Friday's practice as a full participant, he'll presumably be in line for his usual 80-plus-percent snap share if he avoids landing on the inactive list prior to Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff. Through five games this season, Donald has tallied 21 tackles, four sacks and one fumble recovery.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Doesn't practice again
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Donald (foot) did not participate during the Rams' practice Thursday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Donald did not practice for the second day in a row after unexpectedly popping up with a foot issue Wednesday. His lack of participation is not surprising, however, as Rams coach Sean McVay said that the team would carefully handle the star defensive lineman in practice, but he should still be available for Sunday's game against the Panthers. It's likely that Donald will continue to remain out or limited in practice this week, so his game status on Friday's final injury report could provide more clarity on his ultimate availability.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Nursing foot injury
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Donald was listed as a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to a foot injury.
Donald is tending to the injury following his two-sack performance in a loss to the Cowboys on Sunday, though it's unclear exactly when the foot issue surfaced. According to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times, Rams head coach Sean McVay said that the team would "be smart" with the star defensive tackle during practice this week, but the injury isn't expected to affect Donald's status for this Sunday's matchup with Carolina. Donald has recorded 21 tackles, four sacks, a fumble recovery and one forced fumble over the first five games of the season.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Notches two sacks
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Donald registered six tackles (two solo), two sacks and a forced fumble in Sunday's 22-10 loss to the Cowboys.
Donald managed to double his sack total on the season, including a strip sack of Cooper Rush in the first quarter that led to a fumble recovered by Dallas. Rush got sacked by Donald again in the second quarter, cementing the best performance of the season so far for the star defensive tackle. The struggling Panthers come to town in Week 6, and with starting quarterback Baker Mayfield (ankle) likely out, Donald could be in line for another strong performance.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Reaches milestone in win
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Donald recorded six tackles (four solo), including a sack, in Sunday's 20-12 win versus the Cardinals.
Donald became the fastest at his position of defensive tackle to record 100 sacks with his takedown of Kyler Murray in the first quarter. In just 130 games, the linchpin of the Rams defense already sits in a tie for 39th on the list of all-time sack leaders, and he shows no signs of slowing down. A Week 4 tilt with a San Francisco squad that's already surrendered seven sacks on the season should provide more opportunities for Donald to add to his lofty totals.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Agrees to contract restructure
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The Rams and Donald have agreed to a restructured deal that is in line to make him the highest-paid non-QB in league history, Nick Shook of NFL.com reports.
Per the report, while no new years were added to the star defensive lineman's contract, the agreement guarantees Donald $65 million over the next two seasons and $95 million through the 2024 campaign. The 31-year-old is coming off a 2021 season in which he recorded 12.5 sacks and a career-high 84 tackles in 17 games. Now that he's come to terms with the Rams, the 2014 first-rounder remains entrenched as a key pillar up front on defense for the franchise.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Lives in backfield
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Donald recorded five tackles, three tackles for a loss, one sack and one forced fumble in Sunday's 30-23 win over Minnesota.
Donald disrupted Minnesota's offense throughout the game. He stopped Alexander Mattison and Kene Nwangwu in the backfield on a combined three plays for a total of -7 yards. Donald also made life difficult for Kirk Cousins, sacking him and also causing a fumble late in the fourth quarter to stall a key drive. Donald has now recorded exactly five tackles in each of his last four games, but he's also recorded six sacks and forced two fumbles in that span.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Gets in limited practice
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Donald (knee) was limited in Thursday's practice, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Donald did not participate in Wednesday's practice due to a knee issue that he picked up in Week 5. However, his return to practice in limited fashion Thursday suggests that he will be fine for the team's matchup against the Giants on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, Donald has been a key force for the Rams' defense, racking up 24 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble through five contests.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Managing knee issue
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Donald didn't participate at Wednesday's practice due to a knee injury and is considered day-to-day, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Donald is apparently dealing with some swelling after banging his knee during last Thursday's win over the Seahawks, though he still ended up playing 93 percent of the defensive snaps. It's not believed to be a serious issue, and the 30-year-old is expected to be ready to go for Sunday's game against the Giants.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Another solid performance
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Donald registered seven tackles and one sack during Thursday's 26-17 win over the Seahawks.
Donald has 24 tackles and three sacks through the first five games of the season. The 30-year-old is on pace for his fifth straight double-digit sack campaign and remains a strong option in any IDP league that utilizes a DL spot.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Cleared for Saturday
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Donald (ribs) doesn't have an injury designation for Saturday's game in Green Bay, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Once X-rays came back negative, there was never much doubt Donald would play. He said Wednesday that he doesn't have any pain, and while that might not technically be true, he'll likely aim for his usual three-down role Saturday afternoon in Green Bay. The superstar pass rusher had two sacks and three QB hits last week against Seattle, despite the rib injury limiting him to season-low 47 percent snap share.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Listed as non-participant
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Donald (ribs) was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's practice estimate, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.
Donald suffered this injury during the wild-card win over the Seahawks. The All-Pro defensive lineman is officially considered day-to-day, and head coach Sean McVay said Sunday that he's expected to play in the NFC divisional round against the Packers, per Stu Jackson of the team's official site. Nevertheless, it's worth monitoring as the week progresses because the Rams' defense loses its identity without Donald in the fold.
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Rams' Aaron Donald: Unlikely to return Saturday
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Donald was forced out of Saturday's wild-card game against the Seahawks with a rib injury, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.
Donald is considered doubtful to return after leaving in the third quarter. Prior to his exit, Donald was dominant as usual, putting up two sacks and three quarterback hits. He hasn't missed a game since the 2017 season. The Rams should provide a more detailed update on Donald's injury following Saturday's game. The perennial All Pro posted 45 tackles, 13.5 sacks and four forced fumbles during the regular season.
