Will Aaron Donald play Week 1 vs. 49ers? Rams' Sean McVay weighs in

There was a very familiar face back at practice on Sunday, and we're not talking about Puka Nacua. Aaron Donald, who announced his return to the NFL before final roster cuts, was on the practice field for the first time since retiring after the 2023 season.

The Rams are working him back into the picture along the defensive line with less than two weeks to go until the season opener. For a guy who's always stayed in shape, it seemingly shouldn't take too long for him to be game-ready, but Sean McVay isn't going to put any timelines on things.

He told reporters after practice on Sunday that the team is going to take it one day at a time with Donald, ramping things up as the season approaches. So will he play in Week 1 against the 49ers? That's to be determined, McVay suggests.

“Good to be able to get Aaron back into the mix," McVay said. "You guys know how close we are and there’s been a lot of dialogue that we’ve had and excited to be able to just take it a day at a time. I’m not going to talk about any sort of plans. It’s going to be a day at a time for us. What does that mean for Australia? The first step was, all right, if you’re coming back, let’s do that, let’s get you on the practice field, let’s get you acclimated to your teammates, to your coaches, and then we’ll see what that ramp-up period looks like, whether or not he’s available or whether or not we think it’s best to be able to play him in Australia. I think the best way to do it is to take it one day at a time, but we’re obviously excited to be able to have him back.”

On Sunday, Donald went through individual drills with the defensive linemen before heading back to the locker room, Gary Klein of the LA Times reports. That's not surprising with this being his first practice back.

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Eventually, Donald will work back into team drills and do everything his teammates are doing, but for the time being, the Rams will take is slow with the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

The Rams haven't revealed their exact travel plans for Australia, only saying that they're leaving much closer to kickoff than the 49ers. That gives Donald over a week to get ready for the opener, if he plans to play – and if the Rams believe he's ready.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Will Aaron Donald play Week 1 vs. 49ers? Rams' Sean McVay weighs in