LOS ANGELES – Head coach Sean McVay on Thursday said former Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald "looked great" in his workout Tuesday, but continues to go through his decision-making process as he weighs a potential comeback.
McVay, who previously said he didn't expect there to be an update on a potential Donald decision until the team returned from training camp to its Woodland Hills facility, reiterated after Thursday's training camp practice that there is "no new news on that front." McVay also said the workout getting labeled as a tryout on the NFL's Aug. 5 transaction wire was for semantical reasons.
"We've had a plan in place for a while, like I've kind of told you guys," McVay said. "And the workout was one of those things, and really it was kind of semantical to be able to use the equipment and things like that to fall under the legalities of the CBA. And so he's very deliberate and intentional about what this looks like. I'm careful to say – things are going in the right direction. He's feeling good, but we're not to where we are able to say whether or not he is or isn't ready to do it. But he's doing great, and he looked outstanding, as I think all of us would expect."
According to McVay, defensive line coach/run game coordinator Giff Smith put Donald through the workout at Loyola Marymount University during the players' off day on Tuesday, with senior vice president of sports medicine Reggie Scott and performance and senior director of strength and conditioning Justin Lovett also present. McVay was not there but said he had seen the workout, which included "standard individual drills that you would see."
Donald "had a helmet on, hit some sleds, and that's what it was," per McVay.
McVay said Donald wouldn't have another workout with the Rams during this process but "has some other plans that he'll be able to do offsite on his own."
McVay said Donald "has earned the right to see how he feels," and emphasized that the legendary defensive lineman doesn't owe the organization anything based on what he already gave it.
"It's one of those deals that if he wants to do it, we'd be excited about the possibility," McVay said. "And I think it's really important to acknowledge that if he doesn't, this guy gave this organization everything he had for 10 years. And so if he is going to do it, he's going to do it the right way, and if not, he's got a lot of cool stuff going on as a husband, as a father, and doing what he's doing business-wise."
