Aaron Donald is an all-world pass rusher and run defender, proving to be the absolute best defensive lineman in the NFL – and maybe even the best player regardless of position. Opposing offensive linemen have nightmares about facing Donald on Sundays, but it’s not just opponents who are tasked with slowing him down.
The Rams’ own linemen have to do the same. They’re just not used to doing it as much.
In each of the past two years, Donald has skipped mandatory minicamp, training camp and the preseason as he held out for a new contract. That gave the Rams’ offensive linemen some time off from blocking him (aside from light practices during the season).
Todd Gurley, for one, doesn’t really remember what it’s like to have No. 99 on the other side of the line, pursuing him on every carry.
“That’s the crazy thing: I don’t know,” Gurley told Rams Wire when asked what it’s like to face Donald. “This is his first time coming to training camp. It’ll make me so much better.”
Gurley knows Donald will raise the level of competition in practice by being on the field, given his knack for getting into the backfield and wreaking havoc. However, Donald won’t bother Gurley too much on the practice field.
“I’ll still have to finish my runs, but I won’t have any excuse of getting stopped,” Gurley said. “This guy right here, I’ll just kind of run past him. He does a good job of just leaving me alone.”
It should be fun to see Donald back in training camp for the first time since 2016 this year, sharpening the skills of the Rams’ offensive line and his fellow D-linemen, alike.
