Los Angeles Rams: 3 reactions to Aaron Donald finally receiving new deal

2. Donald will play Week 1

Unlike last season in which Sean McVay had him sit out of the opener against the Indianapolis Colts after his holdout finally came to an end, reports have already indicated that Donald will suit up for the team next Monday night for a tough challenge on the road against the Oakland Raiders. Facing the Colts last season for the first game of a new year was a lot easier for the Rams, as the final score indicated, but this battle against the Raiders is going to be far from easy.

Oakland’s 2017 season may have been a disappointment since they went from Super Bowl contender to a team that couldn’t even earn a Wild Card spot, but the atmosphere is much different this year with Jon Gruden on board as head coach. When looking at his previous success with quarterback development, Gruden is expected to help Derek Carr elevate his game to a whole new level in 2018.

In other words, Los Angeles is going to need all of the help they can get to keep Carr in check during this first game, which is where Donald comes into play. The Rams defensive line was already terrifying with Ndamukong Suh guaranteed to be in action for Week 1, but now that Donald will be there as well, Carr better be on the lookout.