{"id":448071,"date":"2026-08-30T13:46:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T13:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/448071\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T13:46:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T13:46:11","slug":"an-aaron-donald-comeback-could-create-a-costly-domino-effect-for-rams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/448071\/","title":{"rendered":"An Aaron Donald comeback could create a costly domino effect for Rams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Giff Smith<\/a> addressed the issue head-on.<\/p>\n

On the first night of training camp, the Rams<\/a>\u2019 defensive line coach sat down with each of his charges individually and, among other topics, talked about Aaron Donald.<\/p>\n

From the moment the Rams traded<\/a> for end Myles Garrett<\/a>, a two-time NFL defensive player of the year, the talk of the offseason was that Donald, a three-time defensive player of the year, might come out of retirement and join a Rams team favored to win the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

The Rams of course would welcome the return of the future Hall of Famer. But if it happens, it also could have ramifications for other players\u2019 playing time and, possibly, future contracts.<\/p>\n

So Smith welcomed players\u2019 questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a very open and honest guy,\u201d Smith said, \u201cand they deserve the respect to be able to voice whatever concerns or answers they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the answers I have, I give. The ones I don\u2019t, I don\u2019t. But let\u2019s clear the air. What\u2019s your concerns? Let\u2019s get some clarity and make sure we\u2019re on the same page.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Rams worked to trim their roster to 53 players by Sunday\u2019s NFL deadline, they still were waiting on Donald\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

Coach Sean McVay<\/a> and general manager Les Snead<\/a> have said Donald can take all the time he needs. And McVay indicated it would not be problematic if Donald decides after the initial roster is set.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever a decision is made, if that is the direction that he goes where he wants to play, then we have plans accordingly,\u201d McVay said.<\/p>\n

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner<\/a>, a team captain, is in a contract year. Ostensibly, the attention teams would devote to Garrett and Donald might provide Turner with more opportunities for splash plays.<\/p>\n

But Donald\u2019s playing time and contract \u2014 whether it be for the $30 million he was owed had he not retired, or a more cap-friendly, incentive-laden deal possibly coupled with other contract restructures \u2014 could affect the Rams\u2019 ability and timing to extend Turner and other members of the 2023 draft class.<\/p>\n

\"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner stands on the field during a win over the Detroit Lions in December.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Turner played with Donald as a rookie in 2023 and soaked up as much as he could from the eight-time All-Pro before ascending to become a team leader.<\/p>\n

Throughout the Rams\u2019 wait on Donald, Turner said it has been \u201ccool\u201d to continue building culture and cohesiveness among the defensive front.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then knowing if Aaron does take the opportunity to come back, then he\u2019s just going to be able to add to our group,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n

Braden Fiske<\/a>, a third-year pro whose playing time also could be affected if Donald returns, echoed Turner. The opportunity to play with Donald and Garrett, who have a combined 236\u00bd sacks, would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Fiske said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s Hall of Fame talent,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not every day you get to play next to one, let alone two. So just the opportunity to learn and grow from whatever [Donald\u2019s] able to bring to the table would be awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fiske got an up-close look when he went through a speed and agility workout with Donald.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly, he hasn\u2019t lost much of a step,\u201d Fiske said, laughing.<\/p>\n

Smith noted the same after watching Donald go through an on-field workout during training camp. Because Smith and team trainers were present, the session was listed as a \u201ctryout\u201d on the NFL\u2019s transaction wire.<\/p>\n

Donald\u2019s natural ability, his attention to detail and fundamental technique remain \u201coff the charts,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike I told him, \u2018Selfishly, I want you back. I mean want to coach you, the all-time greatest one,\u2019\u201d Smith said. \u201cBut he\u2019s going to make the right decision when the time\u2019s right. And I\u2019m all in with AD on whatever.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he decides to play, no doubt, he makes us better. If he doesn\u2019t decide to play, come hang out, be a part of the family, help us get better.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he\u2019ll make the right decision.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Giff Smith addressed the issue head-on. On the first night of training camp, the Rams\u2019 defensive line coach…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":448072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[177424,59505,177426,122647,6848,164869,177421,48,52,51,47,50,49,177423,177425,77652,177422,11706,10947,9084,31703],"class_list":["post-448071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-aaron-donald-comeback","tag-ability","tag-attention-team","tag-braden-fiske","tag-decision","tag-donald","tag-giff-smith","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-more-opportunity","tag-nfl-deadline","tag-other-player","tag-playing-time","tag-ram","tag-rams","tag-training-camp","tag-turner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}