The Los Angeles Rams entered 2023 with incredibly low expectations. Some talking heads expected them to be in the running for the top pick in the draft. Vegas set their over/under win total at 5.5 games. But they weren’t the only ones thinking 2023 would be a tough row to hoe.
Aaron Donald shared on the Pivot Podcast, hosted by former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder, that even he was skeptical of how the team would perform heading into the season.
The Rams were coming off one of the worst seasons following a Super Bowl victory in NFL history and completely gutted their defense, moving on from several players including the team’s top six snap-getters from 2022. Collectively those players combined for over 5000 defensive snaps. This left Donald as the sole veteran presence on his side of the ball.
Aaron Donald‘s Low Expectations for the 2023 Los Angeles Rams
“I ain’t going to lie,” Donald stated. “Going into it, getting ready for camp, I was a little disappointed because I knew it was going to be my last year, Year 10. I already knew this was going to be my last year, and I came back trying to win another Super Bowl. I’m like, ‘Ain’t bring in no veteran help?’ I’m like, got a bunch of young guys. So you don’t know what to expect. You don’t know how these young guys are going to come in or how they’re going to play.”
Heading into the 2023 year the Rams added Ahkello Witherspoon and John Johnson to the secondary but didn’t sign a free agent to replace departed vets, A’Shawn Robinson or Greg Gaines along the defensive front. They instead opted to draft Byron Young and Kobie Turner in the third round.
“But I’m like, as long as they bring in guys that have the mindset to work. So I don’t want no guys that’s half-assing. Just follow my lead, follow the lead of the veterans – because we had Cooper Kupp. You know he’s working. Matthew Stafford, he’s working. I know I’m working. So as long as you follow the key guys and see how they work, everything’s going to play out how it’s supposed to play out. I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little like, I don’t know if I can do this. This is going to be a long season because I already know it’s going to be triple-teams and I ain’t going to get no help.”
Los Angeles Rams Rookies Follow Aaron Donald’s Lead
It seems the young players took Donald’s advice. Both Young and Turner received votes for Defensive Rookie of the Year. They were second and third on the team in quarterback pressures, behind only Aaron Donald.
“I had so much fun with those guys, and to see them grow from camp to being a team that made it to the playoffs, having a cold start and then getting back hot,” Donald admitted, “It was so fun to watch those guys grow and have success and be part of the team. I had more fun than I thought I was going to have and I felt like they sent me out the right way, so I appreciate that. It was frustrating at first but it ended up turning into one of those fun years and exciting years.”
Donald retired following the 2023 season. The Rams continued the youth movement along the defensive front, adding edge rusher Jared Verse in the first round and trading up in the second to select defensive tackle Braden Fiske
