WOODLAND HILLS, Calif — The Rams' initial 53-man roster for the 2026 season is officially set. And a mere two hours before the deadline to make a decision on those 53 players, the news Rams fans had been waiting on for months was finally put to rest.
Aaron Donald is returning to Los Angeles and he will be a part of those initial 53 players. Head coach Sean McVay addressed questions about Donald's timeline, decision and everything in between among questions about the difficult decisions that come with making cuts down to 53.
Here are the Top Takeaways from what McVay said:
Aaron Donald is back, and that affected the 53-man roster construction
Talk surrounding the return of Aaron Donald dominated McVay's conversation with the media. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time First Team All-Pro and 10-time Pro Bowler will return for his 11th season in the NFL just two years following his initial retirement.
McVay addressed how Donald's retuning impacts how the Rams' defense will look, working along the entire defensive front that includes new defensive end Myles Garrett.
"It's the greatest team sport that there is, obviously Myles and Aaron get a ton of credit that's been deserved and earned throughout the course of their career, but those other guys on the front are pretty good too," McVay said. "The beauty of the unit is the unit, those guys are incredible parts of it, but so are (outside linebackers) Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart and Desjuan Johnson on the outside. So are (defensive ends) Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford and Tyler Davis on the inside. So that's a pretty cool thing because you're going to need a bunch of guys up front."
McVay details the "hard conversations" that take place with making difficult decisions
With the highs of the addition of Donald also comes the lows of the hard conversations with the more than 25 players that needed to be waived. McVay explained how those conversations with players that don't make the 53-man roster include "why is this decision made? Where are some areas of improvement?" to help provide clarity.
All the offseason additions like Donald, Garrett, and cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, caused added movement for other players. Despite the movement, McVay feels proud of the character of the Rams' organization and the players and coaches within it.
"What I really appreciate is the consistent messaging, even in some of the hard conversations, about how much they love their teammates, how much they appreciate the vibe that they feel from their position coaches and their coordinators," McVay said. "That's what makes me feel grateful to be a part of this thing with great players that are really good people."
Looking forward to bringing on practice squad members
McVay has already had conversation with players about what it would look like for them to come back on the practice squad as they await the results of the waiver claiming period for teams that expires at 10 am pacific time Monday. Although no decisions will be official until after that period, McVay's preemptive conversations displays excitement for the additional 16 or 17 players that will be at practice every day.
"Even though it's not ideal to tell guys (they) aren't on the 53, a lot of (the conversations) entail: we want you back on the practice squad," McVay said. "I've been very open that attrition is a very real thing in this league, and so I've looked at it as though we got 69 guys on our football team, and it would be 70 because we will use the international exception. So it's tough, and it's a big deal to these guys that you don't ever want to take that lightly."
