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The clock keeps ticking toward Week 1, and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has yet to decide whether he'll be playing in 2026. likesport.biz

Asked by reporters on Tuesday for an update on Donald, coach Sean McVay said, “Nope, nothing new on him.”

The situation has prompted plenty of speculation. Not long ago, Donald's return seemed to be inevitable. He has since shifted his target for making a decision at least twice, and McVay has made it clear that the Rams won't be attaching an "invisible deadline" to Donald.

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The only visible deadline is the Tuesday after Week 13.

Donald has worked out twice with the Rams in recent weeks, intensifying the notion that he's on the brink of returning. But only Donald knows where he currently stands in his overall process of determining whether he wants to play — and why he'd be returning.

Is he chasing a ring? Does he simply miss it? Or is he interested in seeing how it feels to play without being constantly double- and triple-teamed, now that the Rams have Myles Garrett on the team?

The final outcome could take plenty of different forms. He could return in the near future and prepare to join the Rams for their Week 1 trip to Australia against the 49ers. He could kick the can until later in the season, waiting for confirmation that the Rams will be a high-end contender while hedging against the possibility that things won't go as planned before officially committing.

The problem is that, until Donald emerges from retirement, he won't be on the team. He could, in theory, be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list or the Non-Football Injury list. That would allow him to be with the team but delay his debut.

Of course, Donald wouldn't be able to practice until the Rams open the 21-day window for doing so. But he'd still be around, while working out on his own and waiting for the right time to start the three-week clock for moving him to the 53-man roster.

Then there's the possibility that Donald won't return at all.

The dilemma is a simple one. He wants to know he'll be as good as he has always been. But he won't know it with any real certainty until he practices or plays against other players.

Only Donald can resolve this question. And the only thing the Rams can do is move forward with the players they have, keeping the door open for a player who could possibly enhance their prospects significantly for the 2026 season.