Raiders Could Face a Larger Threat From Former DPoY

The Las Vegas Raiders face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, and one of their big concerns will be accounting for the presence of defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who’s a former Defensive Player of the Year. That presence could be larger than usual this week, as a series of injuries could up the snap count for the 35-year old defensive tackle. 

This season definitely hasn’t gone as planned for Donald. He went out in a blaze of glory after the Rams’ Super Bowl win back in 2024, and Donald was widely lauded for his perfect timing as he retired while on top after dominating his position for years and accumulating a boatload of contract cash along the way. 

Donald came out of retirement this year to play with fellow lineman Myles Garrett after the Rams acquired Garrett in a massive offseason trade, but the dominating pair hasn’t been seen on the field together yet. Garrett was out with an injury, and it took Donald some time to get back in football shape. 

Now Donald is back to being the man for LA, whether he wants to be or not. The Rams placed both nose tackle Poona Ford and defensive end Kobie Turner on injured reserve this week, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, and linebacker Myles Garrett has been on IR since the days following Week 1.

Defensive coordinator Chris Shula was asked if the injuries will bump up Donald’s snap count, and he didn’t really answer the question, saying it depends on the flow of the game and “a lot of things like that.” He compared Donald to baseball closers in the ninth inning, saying “you’re probably going to leave him in for a few extra snaps.”

The numbers are certainly trending that way, per Florio. Donald has played in four games so far and his snap count has gone from  33 snaps in Week 2 (56.9 percent), 35 snaps in Week 3 (52.2 percent), 43 snaps in Week 5 (67.2 percent), and 42 snaps in Week 6 (58.3 percent).

Donald was a stud back in the day, but at some point his 35-year old body is going to start to break down. He certainly didn’t envision the Rams having a 2-4 record going into Sunday’s game against the Raiders, but this could be an opportunity for him. 

The Raiders offensive line has had more than its share of uneven moments, and we could see a “blast from the past” performance if Las Vegas struggles to handle Donald.