Donald Is Back. The Pass Rush Still Has a Problem.

Aaron Donald returning from retirement gives the Rams something real — a proven interior disruptor who, at his best, was the most dominant defensive player of his generation. Sean McVay had been signaling for weeks that the conversation was trending in the right direction, and now it has landed. That is a meaningful addition to a front that needed a credible anchor.

The catch is what it doesn't fix. Myles Garrett is on injured reserve, his season done, and the edge rush that the Rams built their defensive identity around this offseason is now operating without its centerpiece. Josaiah Stewart is the name at the top of the depth chart at defensive end, and as my colleagues on the analytics side have noted at length this week, he is being asked to do something he has not done before at this level. Donald helps the interior. The edges remain thin.

Braden Fiske logged five sacks last season and is the most established presence on that defensive line right now. That's the group Donald is walking back into — young, capable in spots, but not yet a unit that opposing offenses fear on its own. Donald's presence changes the calculus inside and could free up cleaner looks for the edge players. Whether that is enough to compensate for losing Garrett before Week 2 is a different question.

The Rams are managing a lot at once — Nacua's hip, the pass rush reshuffle, Stafford's early exit last week. Donald's return is the best news this defense has had in a month. It just doesn't close the gap by itself.