Teams across the NFL all lost players this offseason, whether in free agency, via trade or to retirement. No one suffered a bigger loss than the Los Angeles Rams, however.
Aaron Donald announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons, stepping away from football and the Rams after a Hall of Fame career. Replacing him is nothing short of an impossible task but Los Angeles attempted to do so by focusing a lot of attention on the defensive front in the draft.
Former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett recently visited Rams OTAs and his biggest question about the team is the void left by Donald.
“The big question there is Aaron Donald is no longer a member of the Los Angeles Rams,” Garrett said. “Having gone against that guy a lot, he’s the most disruptive player we ever had to game plan against. And you always had to have two guys on him. You had to have an answer in the run game and in the pass game. And when you’re playing around him and are coaching when he is on your team, it’s an unfair advantage. And now they don’t have that. He was the human eraser. And so now, they drafted the two kids from Florida State. I think they’re excited about them. But it’s going to be a younger team on defense without that superstar, that marquee player, so that’s going to be a big question.”
It’s a question most fans and analysts are also asking about the Rams. There will obviously be a drop-off in terms of interior pressure without Donald in the fold, but will that have a ripple effect on the rest of the defense? Donald always commanded double- and triple-teams but now that he’s gone, offenses will be able to deploy a more standard style of protection up front.
Garrett doesn’t have any concerns about the Rams offense, but the defense is a question in his mind.
“Matthew Stafford is still their quarterback, Cooper Kupp is still their receiver, Puka Nacua is still their receiver, Sean McVay is still calling the plays. I feel good about what they’re going to do on offense. The question is how do you replace 99?” Garrett said.