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Aaron Donald could be the final piece the Los Angeles Rams need to make good on their 2026 Super Bowl expectations. A return feels more and more likely as the start of the regular season approaches.
You simply cannot have a better offseason than adding Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Myles Garrett, and Donald to an already potent defense. Veteran leadership and championship history would mean a lot to a roster that has come up short in the postseason two years in a row.
But after two seasons watching from his couch, what could Donald realistically bring to the Rams? This isn’t a move to win in the regular season—Donald would come back mainly to be a spark plug in the playoffs and help his team win the pinnacle. Winning a second Super Bowl would cement Donald’s legacy as potentially the greatest Ram of all time and one of the best defenders in NFL history.
If Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades were done in a classroom setting, Donald would be the annoying student that set the curve on every exam. He’s famous for breaking PFF’s grading scale as they converted to a more relatable 0-100 system and toppled JJ Watt as the outlet’s top-graded defender in the modern statistics era.
It’s true that their were signs of decline in Donald’s final two players years over 2022 and 2023. He was still an elite defender over those seasons by any realistic standard, although he previously had set the bar at an unattainable level.
From his second year in 2015 through the Rams’ championship season in 2021, the star’s PFF defensive grade ranged from 92.6 at its lowest to a peak of 94.8. His final two seasons were still high but evidently lower at 90.5 and 90.8, respectively. Donald also missed time to injury in 2022 (which Rams didn’t that year?) and played only 615 total snaps—the lowest mark of his career.
The good news is that Donald was still one of the league’s best pass rushers. While his grade came down in this facet, it was still a level of performance most players dream about reaching at the professional level. Two points are not worth complaining about.
On the other hand, Donald’s run defense grade dropped materially in 2022 and declined further in 2023. Using the same 2015 to 2021 window, his rushing grade ranged from 86.0 to 92.4 before declining to 75.6 then 71.7.
Donald played relatively the same number of run snaps in 2023 as he did in 2016 and 2027. In those earlier seasons he posted 39 and 37 run stops with six forced fumbles. His output dropped to 34 run stops and zero forced fumbles in his final season.
Do the Rams need Donald to be excellent in run defense upon a return? Simply put, this answer is probably no.
Kobie Turner and Poona Ford can handle these duties...
