What Aaron Donald’s Role Could Look Like in His Rams Return

The Los Angeles Rams just got one of the biggest additions that a team could get at this point in the season with the return of defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Just before the Rams released their 53-man roster on Sunday, Donald officially announced his return to the team.

It seems somewhat surreal that Donald is returning to the Rams after two years away and at 35 years old. Now the question becomes what version of Aaron Donald the Rams are getting and where he fits in the defense.

What Version of Aaron Donald Are the Rams Getting?

After two years away, it would be fair to assume that the Rams aren’t going to be getting prime Aaron Donald. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Rams are going to be getting a washed-up version either. If Donald didn’t feel like he could be close to himself, he likely wouldn’t have come back.

“Do I feel like I can play at a high level? Yes. Do I feel like I can still be myself? 100 percent,” said Donald. “If I didn't feel like that, I wouldn't be here.”

Even if the Rams get somewhere between 70 and 80 percent of prime Aaron Donald, that’s still very good. It’s still better than most defensive linemen in the NFL. At 35 years old, it’s simply a matter of how his body holds up. Father time comes for everybody, and Aaron Donald is no exception.

Aaron Donald never played a season in which his PFF grade was under 90.

Last season, 1 DT in the NFL had a PFF grade above 90.

His baseline was better than the best DT in the NFL over his career.

If he's 75% of that, he's still a huge addition.
— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) August 30, 2026

Why Aaron Donald Could Play Fewer Snaps

When Donald retired in 2023, he was the old guy on defense leading a group of young players that the Rams planned to build around. Both Kobie Turner and Byron Young were in their rookie seasons. Now, Turner and Young are established players.

Prior to Donald’s return, this was one of the better pass rushes and defensive lines in the NFL. Poona Ford, Braden Fiske, and Turner lead the defensive line while Young and Myles Garrett are on the edge. Donald no longer has to carry the weight of being the guy, and the Rams are going to take advantage of that.

In 2023, the Rams were getting their edge rushers on an island by using Aaron Donald as a looper on passing downs. That's a terrifying proposition now that it's Myles Garrett coming off the edge. pic.twitter.com/Val48VPCDw
— Steven Ruiz (@theStevenRuiz) August 30, 2026

During the 2023 season, Donald played 80.8 percent of the defensive snaps and averaged 54 snaps per game. The Rams are likely going to take advantage of their defensive line depth, and Donald shouldn’t be expected to handle that type of workload.

“My sense is the plan would be to play him 30-40 snaps per game, which is a lot less than he played in his prime,” said Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “I know how confident the staff is in him, but he’s also 35, and it’s a long year.”

Where Aaron Donald Fits in the Rams’ Defense

From there, it will be up to defensive coordinator Chris Shula to figure out the best way to deploy Donald. For the most part, Donald will likely be a rotational player on passing downs where he can have the most impact. At some point, Donald may play at a level where it will be impossible to keep him off the field.

“There’s gonna be so many plays that are on paper great, but when you realistically ask yourself, ‘Can we block them and do it?’ the answer's going to be no."

Dan Orlovsky details the difficulty opposing teams will have when facing Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett 🏈 pic.twitter.com/CEOJOC2voS
— ESPN (@espn) August 31, 2026

However, initially, the Rams are going to be as smart as they can with him. Given the depth and how many stars the Rams have on the defensive line, it’s going to be interesting to see what it looks like.

Despite being listed at defensive tackle, the Rams moved Donald around a lot when he played to help create favorable matchups for him. That will likely be even more true this season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams play Donald as a Wide 9 or on the edge more often, potentially limiting some of the wear that comes with playing on the interior. As of now, Donald also seems willing to embrace whatever role the Rams give him.

“I'm here to earn any position that I'm in,” said Donald. “Whatever that is, whatever my role is, I'm going to earn it. So day-by-day, just work, grind, get myself to where I need to be at the level that I want to play at and that's all I can do.”

This is a presentation you will see ever so often from the #Rams: Boss w/ a Dbl Mug away

The pers is a 4-1 with the $ as a 3rd Safety

6-man presentation floats the Guard

Aaron Donald is your EDGE to the left

This is a great design by LAR to get a sack

💥💥💥#ArtofX pic.twitter.com/zLHSsfqtkR
— Cody Alexander (@The_Coach_A) February 3, 2021

The Rams will be elated to have Donald on their defense in 2026, but they also understand that they have to be smart with him. While Donald wanted to be part of the full journey and play the whole season, the Rams will also do what they can to keep him fresh.

Donald may no longer be the player that he was, but the Rams are also in a place on defense where they don’t need that. Whatever Donald is able to give them, they will be happy with. There’s no doubt that he makes them better, but if they can limit him to situations where he can still be disruptive, even in a reduced role, it’s going to make the Rams’ defense very difficult to game plan against.

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