The Los Angeles Rams certainly kept the San Francisco 49ers in limbo over the last several weeks, at least ever since future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald un-retired and rejoined the Niners' NFC West rivals.
Since then, the question whether or not Donald would be ready to go after retiring in 2023 was atop San Francisco's list of worries, especially in light of its own massive question marks at left guard, opposite where Donald would line up.
With just two days to go before the Rams and 49ers' Week 1 showdown in Melbourne, Australia, news broke that should help give the Niners a massive relief.
Aaron Donald won't play when Rams square off vs. 49ers in Australia
According to both ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Donald won't be participating in the league's first-ever Australia game, and the perennial All-Pro won't even be traveling with L.A. when it makes its cross-ocean trip:
Sources: Rams standout DT Aaron Donald will not travel to Australia for Thursday night’s opener against the 49ers and will be inactive, per me and @rapsheet. The Rams want to give Donald more time to ramp up before making his much-anticipated return after two seasons of… pic.twitter.com/avAbPTtPUA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2026
It's a major development for several reasons. As San Francisco fully understands, Donald is a game-changing force. Paired with Los Angeles' other star edge rusher, Myles Garrett, the one-two punch up front could wreak havoc on the 49ers offensive line nearly every snap.
And that doesn't even include another Rams standout, Byron Young, who's another threat off the edge.
Not having to worry about Donald up front is a significant boost for the Niners offense, which will still face plenty of challenges in light of Garrett and Young making impacts. San Francisco has all but one of its starting O-line spots set—the exception being at left guard where it appears as if a platoon will be set between Connor Colby and the rookie, Carver Willis.
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Donald could've ruined that plan almost single-handedly, but his absence effectively gives the 49ers a full week to see whether or not a platoon will work out.
Of course, the Niners still have to play L.A. again in December, and the 35-year-old Donald will certainly be ramped up by that point in the season. By all accounts, he's still in incredible shape, so that ramp-up shouldn't take too long.
Yet that's a problem for another day, and San Francisco can instead focus on the task at hand without having to worry about such a major factor potentially taking over the game.
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