Aaron Donald makes it official and leaves both the Los Angeles Rams and their opponents with an impossible dilemma
Both the Rams and their opponents face an impossible question to answer with the news that Aaron Donald has returned.
Aaron Donald is officially out of retirement, and the Los Angeles Rams now possess one of the most terrifying defensive line combinations the NFL has seen in years. Pair Donald with Myles Garrett, and the Rams have assembled a pass rush duo that should keep offensive coordinators up at night for the entirety of the 2026 season.
I feel like Samuel L. Jackson in Jurassic Park. You better hold on to your butts. Because both the Rams and their opponents each face an impossible dilemma on the heels of Donald’s decision.
Aaron Donald makes it official and leaves both the Los Angeles Rams and their opponents with an impossible dilemma
The first dilemma belongs to the Rams themselves. You’ve got Garrett. You’ve got Donald. Do you line them up next to each other? Put them on opposite sides of the line? Do you have them run two-man games? Or you try to force opposing protections to turn to one of those guys and leave the other on an island?
There’s no shortage of possibilities for how Los Angeles can implement this kind of pass rush, and it’s an overwhelming idea to consider. The schematic creativity available to the Rams’ defensive staff with these two on the field together is staggering. Two future Hall of Famers. How do you squeeze the most juice out of them.
The Rams’ problem is a champagne problem. The best kind of challenge. The problem facing opposing offenses is far worse. Regardless of where Donald and Garrett line up, how do you craft a pass protection plan that accounts for both of them? If you commit multiple bodies to both players, you’re leaving everybody else in one-on-one matchups. And if you max protect on every snap, you’re limited in your ability to space the field.
That’s the trap. Devote resources to stopping the Rams’ two premier pass rushers, and you handicap your own offense. Try to play it straight with standard protections, and one of those two is going to feast. There is no clean answer.
Two different dilemmas. And they both tilt the field in favor of the Rams.
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