Aaron Donald Stands Firm: Exciting Comeback Stirs Los Angeles Rams’ Future

Aaron Donald might be edging closer to rejoining the Los Angeles Rams. However, if he does make his return, it’s clear that he won’t settle for anything less than a full-fledged role.

While delving into insights on The Athletic Football Show, Robert Mays revealed a pressing question lingering after his visit to the Rams’ training camp. He was curious about the team’s plans for utilizing the formidable Donald if the three-time Defensive Player of the Year decides to end his retirement.

Mays indicated that the Rams have floated the notion of integrating Donald as merely “one of the five guys” in their defensive-line rotation. Unsurprisingly, this proposal did not sit well with the veteran player.

“He essentially stared through their souls after they said that to him,” Mays recounted. “So I don’t anticipate him coming back to be some bit rotational player. I think if he’s going to come back, he thinks he can be Aaron Donald.”

This development suggests that Donald’s potential comeback is shaping up to be far more complex—and significantly more intriguing—than just designating 25 snaps for a legendary figure in the Rams’ franchise history.

The Rams have reportedly considered a workload of roughly 30 to 40 snaps for Donald early in the season, but his recent work suggests he is not approaching a comeback casually. Sean McVay jokingly called Donald’s official workout with Los Angeles “the best tryout that we’ve ever had,” while Rams defensive lineman Desjuan Johnson recently said Donald looked “a little bit faster” during training.

If Donald expects a substantial role, someone else’s workload will have to change.

Kobie Turner played more than 75 percent of the Rams’ defensive snaps last season, while Braden Fiske was on the field for roughly 53 percent. Fiske has already said he would view Donald’s return as an opportunity to learn rather than worry about losing playing time.

The likeliest outcome may be fewer snaps across the board rather than one player disappearing from the rotation. Turner could remain the interior anchor, while Fiske shifts into a more specialized pass-rush role that keeps both players fresher deeper into games.

And then there is Myles Garrett.

The Rams already transformed their front by acquiring the reigning Defensive Player of the Year from Cleveland, and Donald’s return could change the geometry of the entire defense.

Trent McDuffie recently said he asked Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford how an offense would even protect against Garrett and Donald on the same front. Their answer, according to McDuffie, was essentially that there is no clean solution.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

Slide protection toward Garrett and Donald could be isolated inside. Devote extra help to Donald and Garrett, Turner or Fiske could find favorable matchups elsewhere.

That depth could also give Chris Shula more freedom to use five-man fronts and specialize roles. Turner would no longer have to shoulder such a heavy every-down workload, while Fiske — who generated 38 pressures on a lower snap share last season — could become an even more dangerous situational rusher.

Donald still has to decide whether he actually wants to play football again, with his potential comeback remaining unresolved entering this week.

But if Mays’ account is any indication, the question may no longer be whether Donald can fit into the Rams’ existing defensive-line rotation.

The Rams will have to reshape the rotation around him.