The Los Angeles Rams are entering a new era this coming season. They are currently faced with the unenviable task of trying to replace Aaron Donald now that the future Hall of Famer has called time on his decorated career.
The truth of the matter is that there’s just no replacing Donald. All the Rams can do is try and do whatever they can to fill the massive void the eight-time All-Pro defensive tackle has left now that he’s retired for good.
Los Angeles Rams News: Quentin Lake Gets Real on Aaron Donald’s Departure
Incoming third-year defensive back Quentin Lake will be part of the group that will try and replicate what Donald brings to the table for the Rams. Lake himself has acknowledged that it’s impossible to replace a guy like Donald not only because of his elite skills but also because of the intangibles that he brings to the team:
“Yeah, sometimes you talk about ‘Are you going to replace him,’ and as we know, you can’t replace him, you can’t replace Aaron Donald,” Lake said, via Nick Shook of NFL.com. “Aaron Donald is the greatest defensive player that we have seen, and Sean McVay talked about it, he said he was full, and (general manager) Les Snead did a great job of finding guys to fit our scheme, our new defensive scheme, but Aaron Donald did a great job of making sure that the guys behind him and the guys that were with him were ready. Guys like Kobie Turner, guys like Bobby Brown, Byron Young, the young players, the young up and coming talented players are ready.”
Simply put, Donald is one of one. The Rams know this all too well, so they won’t be trying to get a one-for-one replacement for him. Instead, they will be taking a committee approach in an attempt to sustain the same level of overall defensive impact sans their superstar DT:
“And like I said, Les Snead and his staff did a great job of bringing in new players to upgrade and uplift our scheme, guys like Jared Verse, our first-round pick, and Braden Fiske, our second-round pick. These are guys that love the game, fit our culture, and I’m excited to see what they’re going to do,” Lake said.
It won’t be easy, but it does seem like this group is capable of doing it.
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