Why Aaron Donald will guarantee success for 2020 LA Rams

Can Aaron Donald deliver success singlehandedly?

The track record of Aaron Donald is pretty obvious. His first six NFL seasons have generated enough statistics to emulate the full and productive careers of an NFL defensive lineman. Yet Donald is only now entering the prime of his NFL career. His best is now.

What will that best mean for the LA Rams in 2020 on the defense?  In the right scheme, Donald’s production in a 3-4 can look like a 4-4 in the box stats.  A good defensive lineman generates 5.0 sacks and about 25 tackles.  An average year from Aaron Donald generates 12.0 sacks and about 52 tackles.

The team needn’t look for the perfect teammate for Aaron Donald.  Whoever plays beside him, or behind him, on the Rams defense will benefit from his incredible level of play.  But a better strategy for the Rams is to not expect Donald to raise the level of play from his teammates, but rather to expect his teammates to raise his level of play.

So the answer to the question of can Aaron Donald deliver success singlehandedly? No, he cannot. Football is still a team sport and these Rams will need the contribution of 53 players to achieve success.  Donald can certainly benefit from the help of his teammates. it’s up to the Rams newest coordinator on defense to make that happen.