Los Angeles Rams superstar defensive tackle Aaron Donald missed the last six games of the 2022 regular season with an ankle injury. The injury was not believed to be serious at the time, with the six missed games stemming from the Rams being out of the postseason race very early on.
He was one of many Rams stars — Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson and Matthew Stafford — to miss the entire back end of the season due to an injury. The Rams had no real reason to try and rush Donald back, as they finished with one of the worst records in the NFL.
On Tuesday, though, it was revealed that Donald’s injury may have been slightly worse than what was being said at the time. Donald underwent an ankle procedure at some point earlier in 2023, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic:
Rams star DL Aaron Donald had tightrope surgery earlier this year after suffering a season-ending high ankle sprain in week 12, per multiple sources. Donald is already back on his feet and a full go for offseason workouts. He just hosted a youth camp in Watts.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) March 28, 2023
On the negative side, this is the first major injury of Donald’s career. He suffered the injury at age 31 and is entering his age-32 campaign, his 10th overall in the NFL.
His health may, for the first time in his career, be a question mark heading into a season. Prior to this injury, Donald had missed just two NFL games in his first eight and a half seasons. He missed two games in 2017 but still went on to win Defensive Player of the Year with an All-Pro First Team and Pro Bowl selection.
Luckily, the surgery was done early enough that he is already mobile enough to run a youth camp. This shouldn’t leave any doubt for his status for offseason workouts and training camp. By the time the 2023 season begins, this injury should realistically be a thing of the past.
Donald missed out on an All-Pro selection and being in the top five of Defensive Player of the Year voting for the first time since his 2014 rookie campaign. However, he still managed a Pro Bowl selection despite only playing in 11 games.
Stafford ready to roll for offseason workouts
One of the other Rams stars to miss significant time in 2022 was Stafford. He played just nine games after suffering a neck injury and twice being put in the NFL’s concussion protocol. But head coach Sean McVay confirmed that Stafford is once again healthy. He said that Stafford has no limitations on him and that he’ll be ready to roll when offseason workouts come around.
