Aaron Donald said Friday he expects to play Monday night against the New York Giants.

“That’s the plan,” Donald said, per Nate Atkins of The Athletic. “That’s all of our plan.”

It would be his first game since coming out of retirement. Donald has not played a regular-season snap in 2026.

He went through team drills on back-to-back days this week.

Donald told reporters he feels like himself and that the extra practice work made the difference.

He said he does not know what his snap count will be. The coaching staff has a plan for it, and he expects the season to be long enough that the workload gets managed.

Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register reported that Donald appeared to go through a full session during the portion of Friday’s practice open to media.

Sean McVay said Thursday that Donald would practice all week and that he was hopeful the defensive tackle could play Monday.

Donald did not travel to Australia for the season opener. The Los Angeles Rams lost 27-7 to San Francisco in Melbourne.

San Francisco ran for 174 yards in that game, and the Rams did not sack Brock Purdy.

The front needs him. Myles Garrett had arthroscopic knee surgery this week and went on injured reserve, which rules him out at least four games. His first chance to return is Week 6 against Arizona.

Garrett played 39 snaps in Melbourne without a tackle, sack or quarterback hit, and he said afterward the knee was not right.

Los Angeles traded Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick to Cleveland for Garrett in June.

Donald and Garrett have combined for five Defensive Player of the Year awards. Donald won three of them before retiring after the 2023 season.

Byron Young had a career-high 12 sacks last season. Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske are also part of the interior rotation.

Puka Nacua did not practice Friday with a hip injury, and Jordan Whittington sat out with a quadriceps injury.

The Rams host the Giants at SoFi Stadium on Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET.