The Los Angeles Rams brought Aaron Donald back because they believe the 35-year-old can tilt a game.
Philadelphia Eagles center-turned-left guard Cam Jurgens apparently agrees.
Donald hasn’t recorded a sack since ending his two-season retirement, and a sore back kept him out of practice Wednesday and Thursday before Sunday’s trip to Philadelphia.
None of that has changed how the Eagles are preparing for him.
“It’s like Michael Jordan quitting to go play some baseball,” Jurgens told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He comes back, he’s still Michael Jordan.”
That’s a huge comparison for any player, much less one who spent two years away from the NFL. It also sums up the magnitude of Donald’s comeback even while the Rams manage his workload and wait for the production to follow.
The Rams signed Donald to a one-year, $20 million deal on Aug. 30, a contract that can reach $30 million with playoff incentives, per NFL.com.
Through his first two games back, he has four tackles and no sacks, but Philadelphia’s offensive line is treating his presence like a problem that demands extra bodies and extra attention.
Eagles Are Building Their Plan Around Rams Star
Donald’s return has yet to produce vintage box-score numbers. He generated one pressure in each of his first two games, playing 33 defensive snaps against the Giants and 35 against the Broncos.
His reputation, however, continues to affect protections.
Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata told the Inquirer that Donald can “ruin the run game” and “ruin the pass game,” adding that an offense without a plan for him is “cooked.” Mailata recalled Philadelphia’s approach from its 2023 meeting with the Rams, when the offensive line made a point of getting four hands — and sometimes six — on Donald.
Philadelphia largely contained him that day. Donald finished with an NFL Next Gen Stats 2.9% pressure rate, his second-lowest mark of the 2023 season.
The challenge looks different this time. Jurgens has moved from center to left guard with Landon Dickerson injured, and Donald could see a younger interior combination. The Eagles still own the NFL’s fourth-best pass-block win rate through three games at 58%, according to ESPN data cited by the Inquirer.
Donald also has an odd bit of history to chase. His 111 career regular-season sacks have come against every opponent he has faced except Philadelphia and the Jets. Sunday would be his sixth career game against the Eagles.
Rams Waiting for Donald’s Breakthrough Game
The Rams knew there would be a ramp-up period when Donald returned. He joined the team shortly before the season and didn’t play in Week 1.
Head coach Sean McVay had said in training camp that Donald was putting himself through a regimented process before deciding whether to return, and Donald later said he wouldn’t have come back if he didn’t believe he could still play at a high level.
The early workload reflects that caution. Donald has played 54% of the Rams’ defensive snaps across his first two games, per Rotowire, after routinely clearing 80% during his final seasons before retirement.
His back injury now notches another variable. Philadelphia’s official injury-report coverage noted that Donald didn’t practice Wednesday, and he also sat out Thursday.
Still, the Eagles are preparing as if No. 99 will be there.
That respect matters for Los Angeles even before the sacks arrive.
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