Much to the relief of Kyle Shanahan, Aaron Donald won't make his highly anticipated NFL return against the San Francisco 49ers. Donald didn't travel with the Los Angeles Rams to Australia for Thursday's season-opening NFC West matchup. The defensive tackle, who rejoined the team at the end of August, will continue to ramp up before he's ready to play for the first time in two years.
Shanahan certainly doesn't mind his rival's caution. The head coach braced for Donald's comeback, but he's happy to avoid the three-time Defensive Player of the Year in Week 1. "Very excited," Shanahan said, via FOX Sports.
"I told you guys last time I talked to you guys, he was definitely playing. So I've never been more excited to be wrong about something." Shanahan shared his reaction to learning that Donald wouldn't make the trip to Australia. Although the 49ers caught a break, they may have to deal with the superstar when hosting the Rams on Dec. 13.
"I just smiled and said, 'That's good,'" Shanahan said. "We're going to have to see him eventually. We play them twice, but I was hoping he wouldn't (play in Week 1).
I was preparing for the worst, and glad that we don't have to see him this week." His relief is understandable, as Donald terrorized NFL offenses with 111 sacks and 260 quarterback hits over a dominant decade. The 10-time Pro Bowler won't play, but Brock Purdy still must worry about Myles Garrett making his Rams debut. Netflix will exclusively stream Thursday's colossal division battle between the 49ers and Rams at 8:35 p.m.
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