Rams reveal unfortunate Aaron Donald injury update for Week 4

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rams reveal unfortunate Aaron Donald injury update for Week 4

By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Oct 3, 2026 9:03 AM ET

The Los Angeles Rams are 1-2 and they head into Week 4 with a huge showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, the Rams will be without star defensive end Aaron Donald.

On Friday, head coach Sean McVay revealed that Donald is out with a back injury, and Jaylen Watson and Terrance Ferguson are also sidelined for Week 4.

Donald came out of retirement this offseason to rejoin LA. However, in two games, he has just one solo tackle and zero sacks, so it hasn't been quite as expected.

The Rams also have Myles Garrett dealing with an injury, so the Garrett-Donald pairing is not going to happen for quite some time.

Sean McVay said Terrance Ferguson, Jaylen Watson and Aaron Donald are out for Sunday’s game against Eagles
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) October 2, 2026

What is Aaron Donald's injury?

Donald missed practice on Wednesday with a back injury, although McVay was unsure at the time if Donald would be able to play.

“Just taking it a day at a time,” McVay said, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN. “I wouldn’t want to say anything of that nature yet, but I think the back’s a little bit sore. And he’s as tough as it gets, and so I’ll continue to have updates as the week goes.”

Donald also missed practice on Thursday, so things started to trend that way entering the weekend.

The Rams face the Buffalo Bills on "Monday Night Football" in Week 5, so time will tell if Donald can be ready to go for that showdown against Josh Allen.

Matt Wadleigh

Matt Wadleigh is based in California and born and raised in the San Diego area. He studied print journalism at Fresno State for college and got to watch Paul George, Derek Carr and Davante Adams play in a Bulldogs uniform. His work has been featured at ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Sporting News, and various USA Today sites, including UCLA Wire, where he was the first managing editor

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