Evaluating Rams' most likely cut candidates if Aaron Donald returns

The Los Angeles Rams will welcome back Aaron Donald with open arms should he unretire. At the same time, spots on the 53-man roster will be tough to come by when the Rams start paring down. As a result, the pipeline of young talent may suffer a setback if Donald opts to return. All signs suggest he will.

Former Rams quarterback Jim Everett made note of that roster squeeze on social media. He believes multiple teams are watching the Donald situation unfold. It makes perfect sense. Any player who loses the numbers game to reinstate Donald should be worth a spot on a lesser team.

And therein lies the rub. Last season, the Rams lost rookie offensive lineman Willie Lampkin to the Eagles after releasing him due to a lack of roster room. Similarly, promising linebacker Chris Paul Jr. joined the Seattle Seahawks after being waived by LA.

Can Rams defensive line afford to lose a promising young player?

The Rams have a solid starting corps in Kobie Turner, Poona Ford, and Braden Fiske. It's highly unlikely that the team will not give rookie nose tackle Tim Keenan a chance to prove himself this season.

But assuming they carry no more than seven defensive linemen, the competition will heat up quickly over the remaining slots.

Who could be bumped by Aaron Donald? These three defensive linemen appear most at risk:

Tyler Davis

Unlikely as it may first appear, Davis may indeed lose his spot to Donald. Because he is a rotational player, not a starter, anything is possible. But Davis proved productive in an ever-growing role last season, and there is no evidence of a slowdown in 2026.

Davis is unlikely to be bumped, but anything is possible.

Larrell Murchison

To many fans, Murchison may be the bubble player most likely to surrender his spot. But his sneaky good pass rush could save him. After missing all of 2024, he came up with two sacks in 126 defensive snaps last season.

That's as many sacks as starting nose tackle Poona Ford. In fact, except for Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske, it's more than any down lineman in the Rams' 2025 rotation.

Donald may be back, but Murchison has carved out a niche role that would be painful to do without.

Ty Hamilton

Regretfully, the most likely casualty of the numbers game is Hamilton, whose versatility allows him line up virtually anywhere up front. Having to show up and master multiple roles as a rookie has hampered his growth. His second season should produce a much stronger performance.

If he has the chance to play, that is.

Hamilton was limited to 11 tackles on 138 defensive snaps in 2025. That's not eye-popping production, but he showed enough to encourage his fans that better days lie ahead.

No matter who is forced out if/when Donald returns, you can bet that multiple teams will be happy to claim him off the waiver wire. Losing out to Donald is nothing to be ashamed of. The "loser" could be a valuable cog on another team's depth chart.

As always, thanks for reading.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow