Aaron Donald Is Out in Philadelphia — and the Rams' Comeback Story Hits Its First Setback

PHILADELPHIA — There is no universe in which the Los Angeles Rams are a better team without Aaron Donald. But the Rams did not coax Donald out of retirement in late August because they desperately needed him to play on the first Sunday in October — and that is why they are sitting him down anyway.

Donald will miss Sunday's Week 4 showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field because of back soreness that surfaced following last week's loss to the Denver Broncos, the team announced Friday. It is the first real setback in one of the most remarkable comebacks the league has seen: more than 2½ years away from NFL football, a body that wasn't ready for the season opener in Australia, a triumphant return against the Giants, a full game at Denver — and now, three weeks in, his back sending up a flare.

"We have to protect him from himself"

The decision came from the top, and it was framed as protection, not panic. "He's as tough as it gets. Just not feeling good enough," head coach Sean McVay said Friday, per Reuters. "I think it would be irresponsible on my part ... to ask him. He would do it and he could probably go be productive, but part of our job is to protect these tough dudes like him from themselves."

McVay doubled down on the point elsewhere Friday: "We have to protect him from himself," he said. "This guy will do everything and that much more. He represents everything that's right about ... when we've been doing things the way that we want to," per the New York Post.

McVay also acknowledged consulting with senior vice president of sports medicine and performance Reggie Scott on the call, and said Donald is "working as hard as he can to get himself feeling as good as possible, and we're hopeful and optimistic that good days are ahead," via TheRams.com as reported by Rams Newswire.

Why restraint beats bravado

The timing is awful on paper. The Rams walk into Philadelphia at 1–2, already missing multiple pieces of a rebuilt defense. Ignoring the back flare because the Eagles are on the schedule would be, as the Post put it, football malpractice.

The logic the Rams are following is the one that has governed this entire experiment: Donald and the team chose to reunite because they need him playing in January, not because they needed a warm body in October. This is a 1–2 team with a defense still finding itself — restraint now is the bet that pays off in December. As McVay said, the coaches' job is to "put our players in positions to have successful outcomes," per the Post.

And the loss is compounded by who else is missing. The Rams were already going to be without star pass rusher Myles Garrett, who remains on injured reserve after undergoing knee surgery, per Athlon Sports. Cornerback Jaylen Watson (shoulder) and tight end Terrance Ferguson (ankle) have also been ruled out — and Ferguson was subsequently placed on injured reserve, per Rams Newswire. Tight end Colby Parkinson (knee/shoulder) and outside linebacker Josaiah Stewart (groin) are listed as questionable. Without Donald, Garrett and potentially Stewart, the Rams will be significantly shorthanded up front; undrafted rookie Wesley Bailey is expected to see more opportunities, with Desjuan Johnson also in the mix.

The good news: Nacua is back, with no limits

If the defense is a patchwork, the offense is getting whole again. Wide receiver Puka Nacua plans to play for the first time since the Sept. 10 opener, carrying no injury designation on the Friday practice report, per Reuters. And ESPN reports that Los Angeles does not intend to limit his workload against Philadelphia, per Eagles Wire's live coverage.

Nacua was listed as a full participant Friday and looked "sharp" in practice this week, McVay said, with no remnants of the "sharp pains that I was starting to feel that kind of put me down," as Nacua himself described the hip ailment, per Reuters. His absence was never considered a long-term injury, but McVay refused to put him on the field until he was fully healthy.

The numbers explain why that patience mattered. Nacua led the NFL in receptions last season and missed only one game, finishing with 129 receptions for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns, per Reuters. In his only game this season, he caught five passes for 74 yards against the 49ers. He returns to a receiving corps led by Davante Adams and a quarterback in Matthew Stafford who suddenly has his full arsenal again.

Philadelphia is battered, too

The Rams will not be the only team improvising. Philadelphia has ruled out six players for Sunday, per the Eagles' final injury report and multiple outlets:

Wide receiver DeVonta Smith is out with a hamstring injury after missing practice all week — a rare absence for the sixth-year receiver, per NBC Sports. Smith has been Jalen Hurts' most dependable target through three games, catching 19 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown, including five catches for 83 yards in Monday night's 27–7 loss to Chicago. Linebacker Zack Baun is out with a concussion and remains in the league's concussion protocol; Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is expected to start alongside Jihaad Campbell, per Eagles Wire.

The Eagles also ruled out wide receiver Hollywood Brown (ankle), tight end Dallas Goedert (knee), safety Marcus Epps (groin) and tackle Fred Johnson (knee), per NBC Sports and Eagles Wire. Star right tackle Lane Johnson is also out with a personal issue, per Eagles Wire's live coverage. Philadelphia elevated tight ends Zach Ertz and Josiah Deguara for Sunday's game.

So: both teams' final injury reports read like a war memo. Sunday's game at the Linc will be decided less by stars than by depth — and by which coaching staff schemes its missing pieces better.

What's at stake

The Rams are 1–2 and walking into one of the league's loudest buildings against a 2–1 Philadelphia team stung by a Monday-night loss to Chicago. A loss drops Los Angeles to 1–3 with a defense still waiting on its two biggest names to share a field — Donald and Garrett have yet to play a game together, per Reuters.

But the season is not won or lost in Week 4, and the Rams are behaving like a team that knows it. They coaxed a legend out of retirement for the stretch run, not for September. If protecting Donald from himself costs them a Sunday in Philadelphia, it is a price McVay has already decided to pay. Follow the Previously NFL Week 4 Sunday guide for the full slate, and the sports desk for live updates from the Linc.