5 reasons to look for much better LA Rams defense in 2023

Reason I: Aaron Donald appears hungry again

The challenge with having a superstar on the roster like Aaron Donald is trying to find ways to keep him motivated. After all, what can you dangle in front of the future NFL legend to get his competitive juices flowing each season? After all, he has been named to the NFL Pro Bowl every season (9 seasons) he has played, he was named NFL All-Pro an incredible seven consecutive seasons, and he has been named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year an insane three times.

Players at that level of play in the NFL are not incentivized by huge contracts. That is, at best, a maintenance condition that if not met results in a hold out. No, elite players like Aaron Donald scale mountains. And now that he has been to the summit of participating on an NFL Championship team, he stood on top of the world and that hunger abated.

Donald's stomach is growling again

Like anyone who has dined at a wedding banquet or after a huge Thanksgiving Day feast, when you push yourself away from the table, the last thing you want to think about, talk about, or do is ponder what you will do for your next meal. Your hunger was satiated. Your need to consume has abated. And if you have had a healthy portion of roast turkey, the turkey coma kicks in and you fall into a peaceful sleep while NFL football games play on your television set.

But now, one year after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, and witness the fuss and fervor of the NFL media fawn over the Kansas City Chiefs is the equivalent of going on a 24 hour hunger strike. In short, Aaron Donald's appetite is back.

You know that the LA Rams star defensive lineman is coming back, and that is great news after rumors of his premature retirement have plagued the LA Rams and the player in each of the past two seasons. While he has not had a press released statement like LA Rams head coach that announced his return, you can be relatively confident that the reasons are very similar.

So what can possibly motivate a guy who has seemingly no limits? A defensive star who has redefined what his role as an interior defensive lineman can mean for an NFL defense has what left to prove to himself or the NFL? Well, simply stated, duration.

One of the nicknames for the NFL is Not For Long, as the sport has a remarkable ability to move on from a player, coach, or even a team and refocus on the next bright shining star. And now, a year after being the talk of the NFL, Aaron Donald sess that his legacy may not have been insurmountable after all. In fact, 2022 was the worst NFL season of Aaron Donald's highly lauded nine-season career. The NFL is due to be reminded exactly what makes Donald so very elite and special, and that lesson starts in 2023.