There is no universe in which the Los Angeles Rams are a better team without Aaron Donald. 

There is, however, a perfectly reasonable one in which they eventually become a better defense because they were forced to play without him this Sunday. 

Donald will miss the Rams’ Week 4 showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field because of back soreness that surfaced following last week’s loss to the Denver Broncos. 

The timing stinks for a 1-2 team that is now walking into Philadelphia already missing multiple players from its rebuilt defense.

But the Rams did not coax Donald out of retirement in late August because they desperately needed him to play on the first Sunday in October. 

Donald and the Rams chose to reunite because they need him to still be playing when the calendar turns to January. 

And that’s why the Rams showing restraint this week is far more important than bravado. 

“We have to protect him from himself,” said head coach Sean McVay on Friday. “This guy will do everything and that much more. He represents everything that’s right about…when we’ve been doing things the way that we want to.”

Donald spent more than 2½ years away from NFL football. He missed the season opener in Australia because his body wasn’t ready, made his triumphant return against the New York Giants and then played in Denver. Three weeks into his comeback, his back is already sending up a flare.
Ignoring it because the Eagles are on the schedule would be football malpractice.

McVay acknowledges that.

“I think our job as coaches is [to] put our players in positions to have successful outcomes,” McVay said. “He’s as tough as it gets, just not feeling good enough.”

McVay added that Donald would play if asked and “could probably go be productive,” but called it “irresponsible” to put him in that position.

This might shock you, but the smartest decision the Rams make all week is not allowing Donald to play on Sunday. 

Donald spent a career treating pain like background noise. That mentality helped make him one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, but it is precisely why the Rams have to be willing to save Donald from himself. 

Donald not on the field on Sunday in Philadelphia means more snaps for Braden Fiske and Poona Ford. Those are valuable snaps to get them more work. 

Before Donald parachuted back into Los Angeles, this was their defensive line. Fiske and Ford were integral pieces of the front the Rams relied upon for most of 2025, and Donald’s return inevitably altered snaps, roles and rotations.

Sunday gives those players some of that ownership back and a chance to get some meaningful snaps in October when they might be needed come December and January.

That’s important because championship-caliber defenses aren’t solo acts. Sure Myles Garrett and Donald can be the headliners, but the Rams cannot spend the next four months asking a 35-year-old who spent more than two years retired to play every game. 

Fiske getting additional snaps is important. For staying healthy is too. Kobie Turner continuing to function as more than Donald’s supporting cast will pay dividends at the end of the season. 

And if the Rams can walk off Lincoln Financial Field with a victory without Donald, then that’s even more valuable. 

If that happens, it wouldn’t only be the Rams second victory in their last eight games against the Eagles in the McVay era, it would protect the most decorated defensive player in franchise history without sacrificing a game in the standings. Their already established defensive linemen would get meaningful snaps against one of the NFL’s most physical opponents. And perhaps most importantly, they would have proven to themselves that Donald can be a weapon deployed when needed, rather than a dependency. 

And the less toll he puts on that 35-year-old body as he works his way back into football shape again, the better. 

Donald returned to Los Angeles to chase something bigger than another Pro Bowl selection or a few extra sacks. The Rams need his explosiveness when bodies are battered, offensive lines are worn down and every third down feels like it weighs 500 pounds.

Those moments come in December, January, and February. 

There is no guarantee that Donald’s back soreness disappears because he takes one Sunday off, of course. But after such a long layoff, every physical setback deserves attention. 

The Rams decided that instead of squeezing another game out of Donald now, they are betting on having more of him later. 

If Fiske, Ford and the rest of this defensive front can hold the fort in Philadelphia, missing Donald for one Sunday might hurt a lot less than anyone imagined.

And sometime this winter, the Rams might be awfully glad they didn’t ask him to be Superman in October.