Aaron Donald says the comeback is already showing him what he wanted to see: the burst is still there.
At 35, Donald is heading back to the Rams after two years away from football, and he says the speed work has confirmed that he hasn’t fallen off. The bigger boost, he said, came from the man who has tracked him in drills for years.
“Everybody knows I kept myself in shape, lifting weights,” Donald said. “Conditioning, I did condition myself.
I did run full-speed on the treadmill. It was a little different transition to the grass again, running, cutting.
The first day I got to train with my speed trainer since high school, he looked and me and said, ‘You ain’t missed a step.’ That’s why it was important for me to work with a guy that’s known me been around me since Day One, since high school, just to get his advice of how I’m looking, what he’s thinking.”
That trainer is Dewayne Brown, who posted video a week ago of Donald going through the footwork drills that have been part of his NFL routine.
Donald said the three months he spent working out while weighing a return gave him the confidence he needed.
“A long process, but it was my process that I needed to do, to make myself feel like I could do it,” Donald said.
The Rams may not have to wait long to find out. Sean McVay said Donald could be on the field when Los Angeles opens the season against the 49ers in Australia on September 10.
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Cardinals Final Roster Creates One Big Offensive Question
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The bigger question now sits in the backfield and around the overall offensive plan, especially with injuries hanging over key pieces like James Conner and Tip Reiman. Arizonas approach has been to build through the draft and improve in the hidden yardage areas, but the way the roster is constructed leaves some intrigue about how the offense will hold together early in the season. The talent pipeline is in place, yet the Cardinals still have to prove the new direction can answer the most important questions on Sundays. [Read more 🡒]