5 ways LA Rams DC Brandon Staley attacks Cowboys in season opener

Aaron Donald everywhere

I can only imagine the quiet white-hot smoldering that is Aaron Donald’s focus right now. As the team prepared to face the Dallas Cowboys, ESPN put out a new metric that somehow concluded that he was just average. Putting salt in the wound, the Dallas Cowboys are coming to town. In the contest last season, Donald was a bit, average. He recorded three tackles, one for a loss. But he was effectively neutralized for much of the contest.

Of course, the player most responsible was the Cowboys offensive tackle La’el Collins. He won’t be suiting up in the opener. Lucky for him, unlucky for his replacement, Cameron Erving. As the Rams line up Donald against Erving, you can bet they will try to chip at him with either a running back or a tight end.  But that is when and if Aaron Donald lines up at the left defensive end.

Where’s Donald?

What if the Rams moved Donald around?  After all, we know that Cowboys center Joe Looney will have plenty to think about just snapping the ball to Dak Prescott. What if he looked up and Aaron Donald was lined up over center? What if Aaron Donald lined up on the weak side, forcing the Cowboys to shift the offense to place the tight end on his side?

By moving Aaron Donald around, the defense will dictate the offensive formation to the Cowboys. If the Rams starting breaking through and putting pressure on Dak Prescott, it won’t be long until they start lining up two tight ends. Unlike the Rams, who proved that they have two worthy receivers at the tight end location, the Cowboys are relying heavily upon tight end Blake Jarwin. While I think Jarwin is a good TE2, i don’t think he’s ready to be the featured tight end against the Rams, and especially if he’s expected to help block Aaron Donald.