LOS ANGELES — While the Rams and Aaron Donald are still likely weeks away from a decision on whether the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year is coming out of retirement, head coach Sean McVay shared a positive update on Donald after the first fully-padded practice of training camp ended on Friday evening.
“Things are going in the right direction,” said McVay, who added that a decision on whether Donald returns would come after the team returns to Woodland Hills from their training camp at Loyola Marymount. “And if there’s an arrow, it’s trending upwards.”
The declaration from McVay – an inkling of where Donald’s mind could be as he mulls his first taste of NFL action since an NFC wild-card playoff loss to end the 2023 season – was the clearest that the 10th-year Rams coach has been about Donald potentially lining up alongside two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett on the defensive line.
Garrett said Wednesday that if Donald decided to return to the NFL, the 35-year-old future Hall of Famer would be his “partner in crime.”
“There’s some conversations that (Donald and I) have had,” McVay added. “We’ve loosely had some different timelines that are kind of temporary. I want to keep those between us; just you know, if something unforeseen happens, out of respect for him and the situation.”
SIMPSON SHOWCASES SKILLS
Rams first-round draft pick Ty Simpson had arguably his best day of training camp so far on Friday with Matthew Stafford – along with wide receiver Davante Adams and Garrett – taking their planned days off.
Simpson looked confident as he fired impressive passes to the likes of wide receivers CJ Daniels, Tru Edwards and Mario Williams, along with finding running back Kyren Williams for a touchdown pass down the right sideline in his best play of the day.
McVay said he’s noticed marked improvement in different facets of Simpson’s game since he arrived.
“Being able to call the plays in the huddle where we get in and out,” McVay noted. “When the games are real, it’s a 40-second play clock and they don’t stop it where we get the ability to be able to stop it in 25 seconds out of a quarter or clock stoppage, and so he’s done really well. And then I think some of the things mechanically about being able to speed up his release, some of the timing and rhythm in terms of with his lower half being married up with the routes … those are some of the things I’ve seen from him.”
There were still some more errant plays from the rookie signal caller on Friday, though.
Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. almost came away with an interception on a pass from Simpson that was intended for Edwards, while later in the day, second-year safety Alex Johnson juggled a pass from Simpson in his hands before dropping it.
McVay said both Stetson Bennett IV and Simpson have made strides and that he’s been pleased with their efforts so far in training camp.
OLD FRIEND, NEW COACH
Former Rams wide receiver Robert Woods has turned heads during training camp for what he’s added in his first season as an assistant wide receivers coach.
Tight end Tyler Higbee, who played with Woods for five seasons on the Rams, said the former Super Bowl champion (2021 with the Rams) being on the coaching staff is a “special” moment.
“I got to play alongside him for years, and we were actually just talking about it today, I think we had five seasons together,” Higbee said. “It’s been great to have him. I’ve seen him first-hand do what he does on the field, for him to bring that to that receiver room and add to that, it’s special. Not only can he coach it, but he can actually show these guys how to do it cause he’s done it.”
McVay joked that Woods, who played with the Rams from 2017 to 2021, adds “swag” to the coaching staff, while upping the athleticism of the coaching unit. Woods was a player who helped set the foundation of the organization’s culture in McVay’s early days as a head coach: mentally and physically tough players who are smart, love competing and have competitive stamina.
“He represents all those things, and then what’s really cool is he’s got a passion for trying to be able to help people grow, and you can see he’s pouring into all of the players in that room, from top to bottom,” McVay said. “And you can see how much respect they have. He’s loving it, and I’m really grateful that he decided to come coach with us.”
NOTES
Former Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott visited the Rams on Friday and watched practice from the sidelines. … During the first hour of practice, McVay and McDermott spoke off to the side for about 15 minutes. … “We were on the competition committee together and he’s a good guy,” McVay said. “I think he’s just coming around and being able to pick up – I think all of us as coaches are constantly curious and trying to just be able to kind of share with one another. It was great to have him out here today.” …
McVay said offensive lineman Keagen Trost, the Rams’ third-round selection in the 2026 draft, is “doing a good job keeping his head above water” through OTAs and training camp so far.