Rams finish preparations at home as Melbourne opener approaches; Aaron Donald’s status remains uncertain
The Sporting Tribune
Host · Writer
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have spent nearly a week in Melbourne preparing for the season opener. The Los Angeles Rams are still taking care of business at home, practicing Monday in Woodland Hills with one more workout scheduled Tuesday before flying to Australia that night.
The teams’ different travel schedules will soon give way to a familiar division rivalry. For the Rams, the remaining preparations include sharpening an offense encouraged by its training camp work and determining whether Aaron Donald’s return to football will include playing in the opener.
“Obviously, there’s a level of urgency and just excitement for those guys to finally be headed into the season, and you felt that on the field,” offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase said. “But the execution has stayed at a high level, which is what you want.”
Donald’s availability remains one of the biggest questions before departure. The 35-year-old defensive lineman said Monday was a recovery day that included a cardio workout, with a return to the practice field planned for Tuesday. He has participated in 11-on-11 work since coming out of retirement and said his adjustment has gone better than expected.
“It’s better than what I thought it would be, honestly. Things are clicking a little faster,” Donald said. “I’m feeling good, knocking the rust off. I thought I’d be a lot more rusty than I was, but taking it day by day.”
Donald repeatedly declined to commit to playing against the 49ers, saying he felt good and would work with the team on a plan. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula likewise said the Rams would evaluate his progress through their final practices before deciding how to use him.
“Everything’s day-by-day,” Shula said. “As I said, we’re ready for him if he does, ready for him if he doesn’t. We’ll have a plan for however many plays he feels like he can go and we’ll go from there.”
Donald said the depth around him could help make his return manageable. Working with a group that includes Myles Garrett, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford means he does not feel the burden of having to immediately handle a heavy workload.
“Whatever my role is, I’m going to go out there and play at a high level, do my part,” Donald said. “It’s a team sport. That’s the best thing about it. I don’t have to worry about playing 70, 60 snaps when you have a group like this.”
Shula also expressed confidence in Garrett’s preparation after limited practice repetitions. Garrett has worked through individual walkthroughs with the coaching staff, Shula said, allowing him to learn his assignments while preparing for more 11-on-11 work.
The broader defensive focus has shifted from training camp competition to the specific challenges presented by San Francisco. While the opponent is familiar, Shula cautioned that the 49ers’ changed receiving corps requires the Rams to prepare for adjustments once the game begins.
“They have a receiver group that’s pretty much new,” Shula said. “Obviously, some of the guys we’ve seen before and we’re familiar with, but we’ll wait and see how they deploy them and we’ll adjust accordingly.”
On offense, Puka Nacua said he felt great following a psoas injury that had limited his participation. Returning to the field and settling into game-week work — studying down-and-distance situations, third downs and red-zone calls — has helped restore a familiar rhythm.
Scheelhaase said the intensity of training camp eased his concerns about rust after the starters sat out the preseason. The daily competition between the first-team offense and defense forced players to maintain a high standard, although he acknowledged that live tackling remains an element they must experience in games.
“There wasn’t a day that you could show up out on our practice field and not be at your best,” Scheelhaase said. “You’d get exposed.”
Nacua said the offense’s continuity has strengthened its communication, with Davante Adams providing daily lessons and Matthew Stafford helping receivers understand exactly where they need to be. But familiarity, he said, has not diminished the urgency to improve.
“I think there’s an understanding that the goal wasn’t completed last year,” Nacua said. “There’s only one team that gets to walk away from the season happy.”
First comes Tuesday’s practice and the long flight to Melbourne. Nacua, who has extended family in Australia, said his travel plan was to sleep as much as possible. Donald’s focus remained on what awaits at the end of the trip.
“I just thought about playing ball, that’s it,” Donald said. “Whatever the travel is going to be, get out there and play ball and find a way to try to win the game.”
