Possible Aaron Donald announcement should have Rams fans alert in coming days

It's August 27, nearly two months after rumors began, and Aaron Donald remains retired as the Los Angeles Rams prepare for their final preseason game. The wait drags on. 

It may - note may - not continue much longer. If Donald plans to return before Week 1, sometime between the conclusion of the preseason finale and Sunday's roster cutdown deadline would seem an appropriate moment to announce his decision. 

It makes sense. Why start behind the sticks by joining the team midseason? Why make the Rams reshuffle the roster to accommodate his return? 

Okay, okay, there are some obvious reasons why, namely the fact that he might not be ready to take the field as well as contract considerations. That said, this weekend feels like a 'hotspot,' as it were, in which Rams fans should have notifications toggled 'on' in case news breaks.

Aaron Donald could announce return before Rams finalize initial roster 

Donald's decision will directly impact the depth chart. The Rams already have eight candidates fighting for spots. For clarity's sake: starters Kobie Turner, Poona Ford, and Braden Fiske, presumed backups Tyler Davis and Ty Hamilton, rookie Tim Keenan III, veteran Larrell Murchison, and practice-squad hero Bill Norton. 

LA carried six defensive linemen last season (the above group excluding Keenan and Norton). That's how many are included in this prediction for the 2026 roster. That number could grow to seven if Donald returns, but that still likely means squeezing out Murchison plus Norton.

Thus, it would help to have an answer soon. Roster cutdown day makes almost too much sense. But we'll see.

This is not, of course, a given or anything more than a speculative guess. Let's say it again: Donald won't come back unless he feels like his All-Pro self. After over two years out of the league, he might need more time. We already know Donald continues hitting the gym with maniacal discipline. No one knows better than he does that football workouts are a different animal. 

Recently, the financial side has gained more attention as the most likely thing holding up an official announcement. As Adam Schefter and others have observed, Donald still technically has a year and $30 million left on his contract.

Without renegotiating, unretiring would reactivate his deal where it left off. The Rams only have $15 million in cap space. 

There are complicating factors. Sunday may well go by without word, only for Donald to announce his unretirement in the two weeks ahead of the season opener in Melbourne, Australia.

But the simplest, smoothest, cleanest time to do it would be during the interval before cutdowns. It's worth stirring from the numb anticipation induced by constant rumors to tune your antennae for something to break, just maybe, in the next several days.

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