aaron donald

Since coming out of retirement before this season, Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald adopted a humble approach, always allowing younger, less-accomplished players to go ahead of him during drills.

But on Thursday, the future Hall of Famer enthusiastically moved to the front of the line.

The Rams practiced scooping fumbled footballs off the turf.

“I needed that,” Donald said Thursday, chuckling. “Learn bending and getting down.”

Last Sunday against the Chargers, Donald missed the opportunity to score his first NFL touchdown when, with a clear shot to the end zone, he failed to come up with a fumble, albeit in hilarious fashion.

“I saw what he was thinking because it’s going right in front of you and he’s thinking, ‘I’m going to scoop and score,’” coach Sean McVay said after the game. “Then he knocks that … out of bounds. I mean, what the hell?

“His face, he couldn’t even look at me and make eye contact after that. But at least we can laugh about it right now.”

Donald was still laughing about it Thursday.

“I should have slowed down, but I felt people behind me and I’m like, ‘I’m going to get hit in my back. That’s going to hurt,’” he said. “So I tried to go full speed and scoop it. I thought the ball was going to bounce this way but it bounced that way, and it just looked all damn silly.

“Then I hit the ball out. I just laid down. ‘I can’t believe I just did that.’”

Donald was grinning throughout his session with reporters while replaying the missed opportunity — and the new opportunity on the horizon with edge rusher Myles Garrett back at practice.

McVay has not said whether Garrett will be activated from injured reserve and play for the first time since undergoing knee surgery after the season opener.

But Donald sounded as if that could happen Sunday when the Rams play the Washington Commanders in Landover, Md.

Donald did not play in the opener, so whenever Garrett returns would mark the first time the future Hall of Famers will play together.

“If Myles is 100% ready to go, and plays this week, that’s going to be amazing for us,” Donald said. “It’s always good when you have all the pieces of the puzzle.”

Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, and Garrett, a two-time winner, have a combined 236½ sacks. Last season with the Cleveland Browns, Garrett set an NFL season record with 23 sacks.

Donald has played in six games for a team that opened the season as the Super Bowl favorite but is 4-4 after its win over the Chargers.

Donald does not have a sack, but he has 12 tackles, three for losses.

Will Garrett’s return free Donald from double teams and other schemes?

“I’m pretty sure,” Donald said. “The guy did have 20-something sacks last year.”

Donald said the season has not gone as expected, but he is enjoying it.

“I’m enjoying the process, I’m enjoying myself week in and week out getting better, enjoying being out there with the guys,” he said. “And just playing this game.”

Etc.

The Rams activated kicker Joshua Karty to the roster from the practice squad and signed cornerback David Long to the practice squad. The Rams selected Long in the third round of the 2019 draft and he played three-plus seasons before stints with four other teams. … For the second day in a row, cornerback Trent McDuffie (back), tight end Colby Parkinson (ribs) and safety Kam Curl (foot) did not practice.

Still a lot of games left.

No one is panicking.

Been in this position before.

Those are affirmations Rams players and coaches have utilized during a season of great expectations mired in major underachievement.

The Rams, who opened the season as the Super Bowl favorite, will arrive in Las Vegas for Sunday’s game against the Raiders with a 2-4 record and a two-game losing streak.

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Gary Klein breaks down what to watch for when the Rams face the Las Vegas Raiders on the road Sunday.

And they will be without several key players counted on to reverse their fortunes.

Star receiver Davante Adams is out — and is expected to be sidelined five to nine more weeks because of a hamstring injury. Star receiver Puka Nacua, who suffered a calf injury this week in practice, will be a game-time decision.

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner was placed on injured reserve this week because of a groin injury, joining edge rusher Myles Garrett, who has been sidelined since the season-opening defeat by the San Francisco 49ers following knee surgery. Defensive tackle Poona Ford this week was declared out for the season because of a triceps injury.

Linebacker Nate Landman won’t play against the Raiders because of a concussion, and All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie is questionable because of a groin injury.

Meantime, the NFC West-rival San Francisco 49ers are 6-0, and the Rams are last in the division.

The Rams and coach Sean McVay have turned around seasons before. In 2023 and 2024 they overcame slow starts to win 10 games and make the playoffs.

“You can’t sit there and go, ‘Because we did X, we’re going to do Y,’ but we obviously know what it takes to win football games,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “We can’t sit there and look at the big picture and go, ‘OK, we have X amount of games left. These guys are doing that,’ or whatever.

“That’s not the mindset at all around here.”

The Rams have their own concerns, most notably a receiving corps that will be without Adams and possibly Nacua.

Adams, 33, is a three-time All-Pro and probable future Hall of Famer.

“You’re not going to one-for-one sub in a guy that’s going to be wearing a gold jacket one day, in Davante,” Stafford said. “It’s a team effort.”

It became an even more urgent one Thursday when Nacua was unable to finish practice.

Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington, rookie CJ Daniels and Alex Bachman are other receivers on the roster.

“Whether you’re talking about Davante, whether you’re talking about Puka, you don’t ever ask anybody to replace those guys,” McVay said, adding, “I want those players to be their best selves. … It’s a great opportunity for other guys to step up if that’s the situation that we’re dealing with.”

Rams wide receiver Konata Mumpfield catches a pass in front of Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss on Sept. 27.

(Justin Tafoya / Getty Images)

Atwell, Mumpfield and Whittington have combined for only 13 receptions. This could be the first game Daniels will be active.

“We’re all held to a certain standard,” Whittington said. “When you are held to that standard, I think the drop-off shouldn’t be that big. We all have a culture we abide by and everybody displays and embodies that. And I think it will work how it needs to work.”

McVay also could rely more heavily on running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, and tight ends Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen.

“It’s not any more pressure to anyone on the team,” Williams said.

With Turner and Ford sidelined, the Rams’ interior defensive front will include Aaron Donald, Braden Fiske, Tyler Davis, Larrell Murchison and Ty Hamilton.

Donald, who ended a two-year retirement to rejoin the Rams, is averaging just over 38 snaps a game.

Will that role grow?

“We have a general snap count that he’s always going to have going into the game,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “I don’t think we would go crazily past that, but it’s going to be hard if it’s a tight game and he’s at that number.

“Just like one of those pitchers in the ninth inning, you’re probably going to leave him in for a few extra snaps.”

Said Donald: “If it’s 30 plays, 40 plays, 50 plays, 60 plays, that’s what it’s going to be.”

The Rams have 11 games remaining, including Sunday’s against the Raiders, a home game against the Chargers and road games at Washington and Arizona before their bye week.

“It’s not over,” Donald said. “Is there a sense of urgency? For sure, because we want to win.

“But as far as curling up and panicking like this is the end of the world, it’s not that. We have a lot of ball to play, a lot of games left.”