Aaron Donald is officially back, returning to the Rams after a two-year retirement, and his pairing with Myles Garrett has already rewritten the NFL record books before they’ve even taken a single snap together. This isn’t just big news; it’s an earthquake in the league, bringing two of the most dominant defensive players of all time onto the same roster. Sean McVay has quite the squad with Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Trent McDuffie, and now this insane defensive duo.
These DPOY Numbers Are Absolutely Bonkers
Forget “decorated on paper”; these guys are legendary. Donald and Garrett are the first pair of teammates in NFL history with multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, boasting a combined five DPOY trophies (Garrett has two, Donald has three). That’s absolutely wild! If that wasn’t enough, they collectively hold the record for the most first-team All-Pro selections by a defensive line duo ever heading into a season, with a mind-blowing 13. To put that in perspective, the last DL duo with at least five All-Pro selections each was Alan Page and Carl Eller way back on the 1978 Vikings. Plus, they’re the first duo to enter a season with 100+ career sacks each since Derrick Thomas and Leslie O’Neal for the 1999 Chiefs. These numbers are just ridiculous.
Garrett and Donald Aren’t Just Good, They’re Setting All-Time Marks
We’re talking about two guys who are literally rewriting the record books on their own. Aaron Donald averages the most sacks per game (0.72) by any defensive tackle in history, and he holds the single-season record for a DT with 20.5 sacks. And then there’s Myles Garrett, who averages the most sacks per game (0.94) in NFL history at *any* position! He’s coming off an insane 2025 season where he set a single-season record total of 23.0 sacks. The sheer, unadulterated talent here means their ceiling is completely out of this world. You could dream up a defensive line, but it’d be hard to top this.
But Can They Actually Live Up To The Hype?
Here’s the rub, though. As incredible as their résumés are, they haven’t actually played a snap together. Donald is 35 years old and has been out of the league for two seasons. Will he still be the same game-wrecker? While we all expect Garrett to be a monster this year, the history of “super duos,” where superstars join forces later in their careers, is pretty checkered. It’s probably premature to put them in the same company as duos like Ray Lewis/Ed Reed or Lawrence Taylor/Carl Banks, who played extended periods in their prime together. The talent is undeniable, but the execution? That’s the real test.
Every single snap this duo takes will be appointment viewing, because if they click, the rest of the league is in serious trouble. We’re about to see if the most decorated duo *on paper* can turn that into real, on-field dominance.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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