99 Aaron Donald DT

Donald is on track to sign an extension before Saturday's preseason game against Oakland, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.

Rams general manager Les Snead said last week that the team was close to reaching an agreement with Donald, after locking down Brandin Cooks and Todd Gurley during the offseason. While it may already be too late for the star lineman to make an in-game appearance during the preseason, Donald should be able to handle his full workload in Week 1 if he reports to the team within the next 2-3 weeks. He seemingly has no intention to report without a new contract in hand.

Sean McVay said "I'd be surprised" when asked if Aaron Donald would report to practice by Tuesday, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.

Donald, who currently resides on the Reseve/Did Not Report list, stands to miss his deadline to earn an accrued season if he does not report by Tuesday. It's no surprise that Donald will continue to hold out, and it's conceivable that the four-time Pro Bowler could skip the entire preseason. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Donald is searching for a contract extension and hefty payout. Until 2017's Defensive Player of the Year shows up to camp, Ethan Westbrooks and Tanzel Smart will benefit from increase first-team reps.

Donald was officially placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list Friday, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Donald's absence from camp comes as no surprise, as it was previously reported that he wouldn't report while he angles for a contract extension. It's unclear how long Donald will hold out, but it isn't expected to impact his status for the regular season at this point. Look for Ethan Westbrooks or Tanzel Smart to get some extra reps with the first-team defense while Donald is absent.

Donald wasn't present for the start of the Rams' training camp Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Though teammates Brandin Cooks and Todd Gurley recently signed big long-term deals with the Rams, Donald's contract situation remains unsettled, prompting the star defensive tackle to stay away from the team as camp opens. Donald, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, sat out all of training camp last year before reporting to the team just before Week 1, so it's plausible that his current absence could drag on. Ideally, the two sides will avoid a protracted holdout, given that if Donald doesn't report to work at least a month before the start of the regular season, his free agency would be pushed back a year. In 14 games last season, Donald proved to be a useful IDP, notching 11 sacks, 41 tackles and five forced fumbles.

Donald won't attend Los Angeles' upcoming mandatory minicamp, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Donald heads into the final year of his rookie deal and is looking for a hefty raise and long-term extension. With the two sides having yet to come to an agreement, Donald will be a minicamp holdout and there's a chance that extends into training camp for a second straight season depending on how quickly things progress. Donald is already a four-time Pro Bowler and is coming off a 2017 campaign where he nabbed NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, so he has plenty of bargaining chips.