The Rams built one of the best on-paper teams the NFL has ever seen—then convinced arguably the greatest defensive lineman in league history to come out of retirement Sunday at age 35 to tag along. And in case you missed the shots of Aaron Donald working out, he is not a human 35. Not a Tommy Copper-wearing, Bengay-smelling, lie-about-high-school-stuff 35. He is not even LeBron, I’ve-slept-in-a-chamber-full-of-oxygen-and-teenager-blood 35.
Watching a well-rested Donald is like watching a bear shake off the sleepy eyes of hibernation, chase down an animal half its size and devour it in a single bite. I imagine games in which the combination of Donald and Myles Garrett will be utterly unblockable, especially at a time when offensive line attrition is higher than ever, and most NFL coaches expect to face at least one true backup offensive lineman every week of the season. Smart teams have invested in defensive line play over the past two years. The Rams simply traveled to the source and bought up the entire damn supply. As we see what kind of prices any effective every-down defensive linemen are bringing this offseason (the Buccaneers caved to Vita Vea’s contractual demands, the Bengals traded the 10th pick for a 29-year-old Dexter Lawrence II, and the Eagles paid $40 million to Jalen Carter), this large of a market position is incredibly significant. Especially, again, at a time when coaches around the NFL suspect O-line depth is thin and even the talent of its frontline starters is not all that great.
