5 free agents Rams can sign to replace Aaron Donald

Before we get into the article, let's just clear the air right now by stating that nobody can replace LA Rams legend Aaron Donald. But in the context of creating article titles, and the limits to the English language. that's what the LA Rams football team must strive to do.

Let's look at this from another angle. The front office must find a player or players who can turn 867 regular season snaps into 8.0 quarterback sacks, 53 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, and 23 quarterback hits. While that may be more than one person can produce, the team is not limited to just one player.

Somehow, the team must find a way to proceed in 2024 without DL Aaron Donald. We know that no single player can replace him.

But what about platooning players? And what of the existing young players on the roster already? The team had a sampling of the life after Aaron Donald when he was benched for six games in 2022. While the season was already in peril due to injuries to offensive linemen, the defense did not collapse without Donald's presence. Other players upped their game, and the defense did not suddenly surrender an excessive number of touchdowns.

Trade for Philadelphia Eagles Haason Reddick

The first option that everyone has considered is to pick up the phone, call the Philadelphia Eagles, and negotiate an instant trade for Haason Reddick. We know that the Eagles gave Reddick and his representation permission to seek a trade, which is often a harbinger to an outright release or a substantial cut in pay and or the number of snaps for that player.

Rams fans recognize Reddick from his days playing for the Arizona Cardinals. He finally exploded for 12.5 QB sacks In his contract year for the Cardinals, and leveraged that burst of production to land a contract with the Carolina Panthers for one year, and then for the Philadelphia Eagles for two years.

The Eagles have younger players pushing hard for more playing time, and the front office wants to see them get it. Reddick is turning 30 years old this year, and he sees the writing on the wall.

One of the areas that limits his trade value is the demand for a new contract that averages $25 million per year. The New York Giants pried DE/OLB Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers for a 2024 NFL Draft pick in Round 2, and a 2025 NFL Draft pick in Round 5. Reddick is four years older, so the best that the Eagles can hope for is a conditional draft pick in Round 3, or a pick in Round 4.

Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 240 pounds, Reddick would slide into the Rams outside linebacker position, perhaps necessitating the return of Michael Hoecht to a defensive lineman role. But are the Rams so willing to part with picks? After landing OLB Byron Young and NT Kobie Turner in the 2023 NFL Draft, I'm not so sure. What other options do the Rams have?

Five options for Aaron Donald in 2024

1. Trade for Philadelphia Eagles Haason Reddick
2. A familiar ally returns
3. A jagged little pass rush boost
4. Boy Wonder
5. The QB sack Shaq
6. A traveling edge rusher
7. Summary

A familiar ally returns

The fact that former LA Rams DT/NT Sebastian Joseph-Day is a free agent could bode well for both the player and the team. SJD not only was Aaron Donald's teammate for four NFL seasons, but he played alongside Donald and had some success in the process. He may not be the ultimate solution, but he does add a strong rotational piece to the team's defensive front.

Joseph-Day knows the team, the coaches, and the defense. He can slide in at any of the three defensive line positions, Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 310 pounds, SJD is a powerful defensive lineman who can hold the line, stuff the run, and even slip in a bit of a pass rush for good measure.

The Rams will need versatility in 2024, as there will undoubtedly be several players tested to see how well they may work in the defense. Sebastian Joseph-Day is a versatile veteran who allows this team to do so.

A jagged little pass rush boost

DE/OLB Dawuane Smoot is an impressive 6-foot-3 275-pound defensive end/outside linebacker who has played for the Jacksonville Jaguars for the past seven seasons. Smoot is a pass rusher off the edge, which will more than likely place him into a two-point stance if he joins the Rams' defense. He was viewed as not a great fit for the Jaguars defense for 2024. But he could be a solid fit for the LA Rams.

Smoot is a rotational piece, not a starter. He played 340 defensive snaps in 2023, racking up 10 tackles, 1.0 quarterback sack, four quarterback hits and one forced fumble. He is a pass rush specialist, and would likely be someone sent onto the football field on nickel and dime sub packages.

What makes Smoot so intriguing is that he is a veteran NFL pass rusher who has to be hungry for an opportunity to restore his reputation and respect in the NFL. The Rams could offer that opportunity. He makes an intriguing option for a defense in need of passionate pass rushers.

Boy Wonder

Former Philadelphia Eagles DE Derek Barnett is another fallen NFL star at the pass rusher position. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 259 pounds, Barnett fills a role in the defensive front much like that of former DE Morgan Fox. While his star has dimmed considerably, a change of scenery could do both the player and the person a world of good.

Barnett's best NFL season happened in 2020. He played 535 defensive snaps that year, recording 34 tackles, 5.5 quarterback sacks, six tackles for a loss, and 16 quarterback hits. While he has not replicated that level of production, he does hold the potential to do so if the conditions are right.

He is no Morgan Fox, but he is an option. And the LA Rams have a way of unlocking the best of some players. Could Barnett return to 6.0+ quarterback sacks for the Rams? There is only one way to find out.

The QB sack Shaq

The career of veteran DE Shaq Lawson's eight seasons in the NFL has been spent entirely in the AFC East. So far, he has spent six seasons with the Buffalo Bills, one season with the Miami Dolphins, and one season with the New York Jets. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 265 pounds, Lawson has spent much of his NFL time as a defensive end. But he has played outside linebacker as well.

Like many players on this list, Shaq Lawson is a rotational player whose production has dropped and who should be affordable on a very team-friendly deal. Lawson played 325 defensive snaps in the Bills defense in 2023, generating 13 tackles, 1.0 quarterback sack, two tackles for a loss, seven quarterback hits.

He is more productive than his stats suggest, a selfless veteran who always seem to answer the bell, be around the football, and help to make plays. He stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 265 pounds, a powerful pass rusher. His high-water mark of 6.5 quarterback sacks happened in 2019. Can he get there again?

A traveling edge rusher

It's amazing to realize that DE Yannick Ngakoue's eight NFL seasons have been spent with six NFL teams. His first four seasons were spent terrorizing quarterbacks on the Jacksonville Jaguars defense. Since then, he has played no more than one season for five other NFL teams.

Ngakoue is a pure pass rusher, plain and simple. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 246 pounds, he is likely an outside linebacker in the Rams front seven. Still he could put his hand down in the dirt in a Morgan Fox-like role. His most recent role, with the Chicago Bears, was 592 defensive snaps. He recorded 22 tackles, 4.0 quarterback sacks, six tackles for a loss, and seven quarterback hits.

He is not going to offer much in terms of pass coverage. He is a player who pins his ears back and rushes. That is a bit of a challenge for a role that must also stop the run, set the edge, cover the flat, and contain mobile quarterbacks.

If the Rams want pressure on the quarterback, he's your guy. He averages 25.5 quarterback pressures per season for eight NFL seasons.

Summary

No magic djinn can wave a new elite pass rusher onto the Rams roster. Either the team must try to grow one from the 2024 NFL Draft, or the team must try to help a former rising NFL star reclaim the luster of his career. In either case, the risks may be substantial.

But the team cannot simply shrug shoulders and not make any effort. This is a team that entered the 2024 NFL season knowing that the pass rush needed help. It's needs even more help now. Aaron Donald is no longer part of the solution for the team's pass rush challenge.

The team must find that answer without him. And we have just explored six options. Stay tuned . . .