Lions HC Praises Rams Defense Despite Aaron Donald Being Gone

The Lions face the Rams in Week 1.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Opposing head coaches and offensive coordinators were able to take a breath of relief when future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald retired this offseason. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year forced teams and offenses to revolve their game plan around keeping Donald from ruining the game, frequently double and even triple-teaming him.

While blocking Donald is no longer a concern, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is not overlooking the talent that is currently on the Rams' defensive line as he prepares to take on the Rams in Week 1.

“It’s nice not to have to necessarily worry about (Donald), but the guys they have over there are young and hungry, high-motor,” Campbell told reporters. “Man, they’ve got an influx of youth that’s pretty damn talented.”

The Rams have put together a talented, young defensive line. Los Angeles has returning second-year defensive linemen in Kobie Turner and Byron Young, along with rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske.

Turner and Young are coming off great rookie seasons. The two third-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft combined for 17 sacks during the 2023 season, with Turner leading all rookies in sacks with eight. The Rams think so highly of Turner that they have even made him a team captain ahead of just his second season.

The team added Verse and Fiske during this year's draft, both out of Florida State. The Rams took Verse with their first first-round pick since 2016, and then traded up to grab Fiske in the second round. Verse recorded at least nine sacks in each of his last three seasons of college, and was a two-time first-team All-American in 2022 and 2023. Fiske recorded six sacks and nine tackles for loss in his final season at Florida State.

All four players showed they can get to the quarterback and the backfield last season, either at the NFL or college level. Though Donald is no longer on the team, it's wise of Campbell to not overlook the impact these players could have on Jared Goff and the Lions offense.

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