Aaron Donald Is No Longer a Luxury for Rams Defense

When defensive lineman Aaron Donald made his decision to come out of retirement to re-join the Los Angeles Rams, he was always seen as being a luxury addition. The Rams had traded for Myles Garrett in the offseason and had spent the previous few years building up the defensive line with players such as Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Byron Young, and others.

Now, as Donald potentially makes his debut on Monday Night Football in Week 2 against the New York Giants, the situation has changed. Myles Garrett will be out at least the next four weeks with a knee injury as he was placed on injured reserve.

Without Garrett at 100 percent, the Rams struggled to generate much of a pass rush. There were certainly some things the 49ers did to mitigate some of that. However,the Rams’ pass rush did not have as much of an impact as anticipated.

When the Rams acquired Garrett, they also traded away Jared Vers. While Verse didn’t have much of a positive impact in his Cleveland Browns debut, he was also a star player on the Rams’ pass rush that the team could count on. That’s not to say that the Rams don’t have a star player without Garrett. Young and Turner are certainly capable of getting after the quarterback and making key plays.

Still, there is a drop-off with Garrett not on the field. The attention that teams would have had to give Garrett can now be shifted to Turner and Young, leaving them with fewer one-on-one opportunities.

Rams Pass Rush Faces New Challenge Without Myles Garrett

Following Donald’s announcement, there have been a lot of questions about what the Rams are going to get out of him. Prior to Garrett’s injury, the Rams would have been able to get by with 70 percent of what Donald was when he left. That may no longer be the case.

Head coach Sean McVay said on Monday that he has confidence that Donald can play at the same level as when he retired. “That's what my expectations are and my level of confidence in him,” said McVay.

However, for the Rams to get by without Garrett, they may need that. The expectation was that Donald would play in a rotational role to maximize his current skill set when he returned.

Rams May Need More From Aaron Donald Than Initially Expected

Now, the Rams may need 100 percent of Donald just to get by until Garrett returns. If that does end up being the case, is that a workload that Donald can handle after being out of the game for two years?

If there was ever any evidence needed that Garrett is a math-changing player, this is it. The equation has shifted dramatically for the Rams’ defense. Instead of being able to rely on a front four to get after the quarterback, it may take more scheming up front. While the Rams may have been able to smartly manage Donald in his return, they may need to use him more than initially planned.

If there is any player who can do it, it’s Donald. That still doesn’t make it any less of an unknown. At the end of the day, Father Time is undefeated. Coming into the season, it may have been unrealistic for the Rams to expect the same Donald as when he retired. Without Garrett, that’s exactly what they’ll need.

“I don't know if I look at it as pressure or just the standards that he has for himself are different than I think anyone could place on him,” said McVay. “There's a rage to master your craft. There’s an ability to pick things up quickly in your domain. He’s checking all those boxes. This guy is as driven as anybody I've been around, the work capacity, the competitive stamina.

Aaron Donald Goes From Luxury to Necessity

Things appear to be moving in the direction of Donald making his debut on Monday against the Giants. While the Rams may have been able to get by with Donald in a rotational role and a lesser version of himself initially, that may no longer be the case. With Garrett set to miss at least the next month, the addition of Donald is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

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