Eight days after Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald ended his holdout, he’ll not only be playing but also be starting.
“He will start,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Friday. “Yes.”
So what’s the situation with Donald?
“The situation is that we feel good,” McVay said. “He had a good week of practice and as far as how we approach that game, that’s something that we’ll figure out in the next 48 hours. But he’s going to go unless something changes between then. The snap count and how many plays he plays is yet to be determined.”
So there is a bit of a sliver of doubt there, a minor caveat that could keep Donald from playing despite the “he will start” declaration.
"[H]e came in in good shape, he’s looked good, looks fresh, looks like the Aaron Donald that you guys are accustomed to seeing and that’s kind of what I expected because you know he’s a guy that’s going to take great care of himself when he’s away,” McVay said. “He was working hard, he was doing everything that he could while not being here to make sure that when this opportunity presented itself, he would be ready to go and help his teammates out and try to be a positive thing that helps us win football games and that’s certainly what he’s done this week. I’m looking forward to seeing him get out there and compete with his teammates on Sunday.”
Some have suggested that Donald won’t be ready to play until he gets a new contract. Maybe a new contract is coming before Sunday. If it does, it’s safe to say he’ll definitely be playing in Week Two.