(Photo: The Ringer)
The Los Angeles Rams have that mentality of wanting to win now, and they really don’t care about those draft picks. I was just mentioning to someone that when they acquired Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns in June, it reminded me of when the Rams made the in-season move to acquire Von Miller from the Denver Broncos. And look how that panned out. They became just the second team in NFL history to play in a Super Bowl in their own home stadium, and they won it all that year when they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals. When you think of defensive players in the 2010s, Aaron Donald will forever be the first name mentioned. In 2024, Aaron decided to walk away from the game and retire after 10 dominant seasons in the NFL. During training camp, talks about him coming out of retirement were brewing up, and even more so after the Rams acquired Myles. Today, Aaron himself announced that he would be returning to the Rams on a one-year deal worth $20 million.
At his peak, this was the gold standard of defensive players, and he was also widely regarded as the best overall player in the NFL. I’ve often said Aaron is one of the five greatest defenders I’ve ever seen play the game and the most dominant interior defensive tackle I’ve seen since the Warren Sapp days, but I think he’s surpassed Warren on that list now. He’s one of those defenders that has every attribute you could hope for, such as being competitive and powerful at the point of attack. He was the one guy who left everything on the field and then some. I think we should all be grateful that Aaron isn’t taller than what he is because that would be extremely scary if he was. He’s only six feet tall and a little over 280 pounds, but still would have his way with anyone attempting to block him. Aaron’s never been that run-stuffing interior defensive tackle. I feel what always made him elite was the ability to beat interior guards and centers one-on-one, which made him function as an edge guy from the inside. Next is the first step. That initial burst off the snap of the ball always worked in his favor because it forced offensive linemen to react immediately because of the quickness he displayed. I always stated that what made Aaron so dominant was the technique and hand leverage he played with! Even if he is undersized, he always won his one-on-one battles because of his leverage, body control, violent hands, and balance. The value of 99 goes beyond sacks and tackles, as he can push the pocket and make quarterbacks hesitate when they see him running in their direction, force quarterbacks off their spots, destroy running lanes, and always do the dirty work, such as commanding double teams, which benefited his teammates around him as they were able to naturally make plays and roam around.
I’m glad he’s back, and the thought of him on the field at the same time as Myles Garrett is a scary thought. As a head coach, who do you even elect to chip or double? One of them will have a clear path to make plays while the other will be accounted for. As long as the window is open, the Rams will continue to be in that “win-now mode.” They now have the reigning league MVP, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and a former three-time Defensive Player of the Year all on the same roster. Let the games begin!
