The biggest storyline of the NFL offseason following the blockbuster Myles Garrett trade for the Los Angeles Rams has been Aaron Donald potentially coming out of retirement for another Super Bowl run.
There's a real chance that Donald returns for the Rams and forms what could be the best defensive line in NFL history. But not everyone is as optimistic about Donald's potential return.
ESPN analyst Ben Solak poured cold water on Rams fans eagerly waiting for Donald to come out of retirement. For multiple reasons, Solak could see Donald coming out of retirement not working out as many Rams and NFL fans think.
ESPN analyst pours cold water on Aaron Donald coming out of retirement
"Sprinkle a little Donald on there, and we have what ...? The best defense in football? The best defense of the past decade? Maybe -- but probably not!" Solak writes.
For as good as Donald was, he's been out of the league for a few years now, and likely won't be ready to go at full throttle right away, if at all, when he returns.
Solak notes that it's "extremely unlikely" for Donald to come back and play 40 snaps per game, which is the figure he'd easily eclipse if he were in the prime of his career.
But another interesting note from Solak that's worth keeping in mind is that the Rams defense was actually already good. Last year, they ranked fourth in DVOA.
Sure, the additions of Garret, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and perhaps even Donald could make them the best defense in the league, but how much better could they actually get?
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There's always room to improve, but the leap might not be as enormous as these major blockbuster additions would seem to indicate.
Donald has yet to decide to come out of retirement and play for the Rams, and even if he were to make such a decision, there's bound to be questions about how good he'd actually be, and how much he'd play for the Rams this upcoming season.
Besides, with how stacked this team is, anything less than a Super Bowl title would be disappointing. The NFL is very hard, and the Rams could easily fall short of the Super Bowl, and it wouldn't be a surprise.
Still, it's hard not to get swept up in all of the hype surrounding this Rams team. Solak, however, is pouring a bit of cold water on Rams fans.
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