The first thing Aaron Donald felt after his return to the NFL was familiar. The second was unavoidable.
“I’m a little sore right now,” Donald said after the Los Angeles Rams’ 28-6 win over the New York Giants on Sept. 21, per Eric Williams on X. The Rams listed the game as Donald’s first appearance in 982 days.
That admission came after Donald played his first game in more than two years, a comeback that carried plenty of curiosity about how much of the three-time Defensive Player of the Year’s explosiveness would still be there at 35.
One night offered a pretty encouraging answer.
Donald finished with three tackles and one tackle for loss across 32 defensive snaps.
Donald’s Burst Survived the Layoff
ESPN’s Benjamin Solak shared Donald’s Next Gen Stats after the game, and one number jumped off the screen.
Donald averaged a 0.75-second get-off across 18 pass-rush snaps, which Solak noted was the third-fastest mark by a defensive tackle in a game this season. Donald generated one pressure, extending a streak in which he has never finished a game without a pressure in the Next Gen Stats era, which dates to 2016.
He also played 14 run-defense snaps and recorded three tackles, including one for loss.
🔸32 snaps 🔸14 run saps (3 TKLs, 1 for loss) 🔸18 pass rush snaps (0.75s get off, LMFAO, third-fastest DT game this season) 🔸1 pressure (never had a game with zero pressures in NGS era, 2016-2026)
The Rams didn’t ask Donald to resume the 50-plus-snap workloads he handled before retirement. ESPN reported that his 32 snaps accounted for 58.2% of Los Angeles’ defensive plays.
That was enough to see why the Rams wanted him back.
Los Angeles posted a 66.7% pass-rush win rate against New York, its best mark in a game since Week 11 of the 2022 season, according to the Rams, citing ESPN Analytics and Next Gen Stats.
Donald was also candid about the rust that came with his long absence. He said he had one-on-one opportunities he needed to win faster and acknowledged that he occasionally played too high because of his excitement.
Those are far different concerns from wondering whether the burst is still there.
Rams Can Let Donald Get Acclimated From Here
Donald’s return came at an important time for Los Angeles. Myles Garrett landed on injured reserve four days before the Giants game with a knee injury, leaving the Rams without the other centerpiece of their star-studded defensive front.
The Rams still overwhelmed New York’s passing game. ESPN noted that Los Angeles generated 10 pressures on 18 first-half dropbacks after Jameis Winston replaced injured starter Jaxson Dart.
Donald didn’t need to dominate the stat sheet for the front to take over.
His clearest individual moment came against the run, when he dropped Najee Harris for a loss to force a third-down stop. Donald later said the play “felt good,” although he joked it would have been better if he had been able to slam Harris.
The night also gave Donald a baseline. He knows the conditioning, hand placement and pad level can improve. The physical trait that mattered most after more than two years away — his ability to explode off the ball — looked recognizable.
Donald said the game itself was not as fast as he expected. His bigger issue was settling himself down, trusting his eyes and avoiding technical mistakes.
That should be an promising starting point for a player who retired after the 2023 season with 111 career sacks, eight first-team All-Pro selections and three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
The soreness was predictable after 982 days between games.
The 0.75-second get-off was the part that should have Los Angeles feeling much better Tuesday morning.
Rams’ Aaron Donald Admits Small Issue With Physical Condition After Debut vs. Giants