Rams must take out-of-box approach to replacing legendary DT Aaron Donald

How do you replace a future Hall of Famer?

With defensive tackle Aaron Donald announcing his retirement last week, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay has been mulling that question. McVay and Rams general manager Les Snead knew Donald’s retirement was in the works. He had strongly contemplated retirement after the team’s Super Bowl win in 2022, but he gave the organization two more seasons before walking off into the sunset with one year left on his three-year, $95 million deal.

Donald’s retirement will include a gold jacket in five years when he’s eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For now, the Rams face the arduous task of replacing the lost production from perhaps the most talented defensive tackle ever to play the game.

One player will not fill that enormous void. But fortunately for the Rams, the cupboard isn’t bare. Last year, DT Kobie Turner finished with nine sacks and was a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Fellow rookie Byron Young had eight sacks. Edge rusher Michael Hoecht continues to ascend, finishing with six sacks in his second season as a starter. And nose tackle Bobby Brown III took another step in his development into potentially becoming a full-time starter in 2024.

The Rams have 11 picks in this year’s draft and will continue to add talent up front defensively. Someone like Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II could make sense with the Rams picking at No. 19 overall, which will be L.A.’s first pick in the first round since 2016.  

New defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who replaces Raheem Morris, now the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, is tasked with creating a scheme that takes advantage of this young group’s skill set. Shula served as linebackers coach and pass rush coordinator last season. He’s been with the Rams since 2017 and played college football with McVay at Miami of Ohio, so the two are close.

Shula, who served as an assistant under longtime NFL defensive coordinators Wade Phillips and John Pagano, said the Rams will continue to use a 3-4 base scheme.

“We’ll use a lot of the same structures,” Shula said. “The same 3-4 structure and some of the same core beliefs, but it’s all about the players. 

“We’re going to do whatever the players can execute at a high level where they can go out and play fast and play confident. Whatever the offense gives us, we’ll be able to have answers to.”

Donald was the most double-teamed defensive lineman in the NFL every year, which allowed for the other Rams linemen to pass rush against single blocks. With Donald gone, that will no longer be the case. So Shula will have to get creative with his defensive front, using more pre-snap disguise, defensive line stunts and blitzes from the second and third levels of the defense to generate pressure.

Which brings us to the next potential solution for filling the void of Donald’s absence: more blitzing. According to Next Gen Stats, the Rams blitzed 27.5% of the time in 2023, tied for No. 16 in the NFL. Los Angeles finished with a 35.3 quarterback pressure rate, also No. 16 in the league.

The Rams have one of the NFL’s most effective blitzers in linebacker Ernest Jones, who totaled 4.5 sacks and six quarterback hits last season. In free agency, they signed former Commanders safety Kamren Curl, who finished with a sack and three quarterback hits in 2023. Slot defender Cobie Durant also has been used as an effective blitzer the past two seasons.

During the three seasons Phillips served as L.A.’s defensive coordinator, the Rams finished in the top 10 in blitz percentage at 32.5%, according to Next Gen Stats. Shula may have the Rams blitzing more to create consistent pressure without Donald.

Finally, the Rams must develop more young talent, leaning on the team’s experienced coaching staff. Veteran defensive line coach Eric Henderson has left to become the co-defensive coordinator at USC. While Henderson will be missed because of his ability to get the most out of his players, the Rams were fortunate to hire Giff Smith, Henderson’s mentor, to replace him.

Smith coached the defensive line for the Los Angeles Chargers for eight seasons, and he filled in as the team’s interim head coach when Brandon Staley was fired midseason last year. Smith is well-respected in coaching circles and has tutored some of the best defensive linemen in the game, including Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Melvin Ingram and Brandon Mebane. 

During his time with the Buffalo Bills from 2010-12, Smith helped to develop defensive tackle Kyle Williams into a Pro Bowler. Smith has worked in both 4-3 and 3-4 schemes, and that versatility should help as Shula, McVay and the rest of L.A.’s coaching staff figure out life without Aaron Donald. 

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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