Aaron Donald is back on the field for the Los Angeles Rams, and the biggest question hanging over the NFL right now is whether he can possibly be the same force who was once the absolute best defensive player in football.
Why Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number for These Guys
It feels wild to even ask, right? This dude, Aaron Donald, spent two full years away from the game, and now he’s rolling back at 35 years old. The odds of him being exactly as good as his absolute prime self are definitely slim, and you hear the whispers. But here’s the absolute kicker, and it’s something the league might be overlooking: the position he plays, interior defensive line.
This ain’t a perfect science, no hard-and-fast rule, but generally speaking, IDLs, especially the elite ones who already play at a crazy high level, tend to age way more gracefully than players at other positions. We’re talking about guys who, even past the conventional ‘prime,’ can still be massively impactful pieces.
The 35+ Club is Full of Needle-Movers, Not Just Benchwarmers
Now, let’s look at the cold, hard facts. In 2025, only two interior defensive linemen 35 or older played an NFL game. Aaron Donald is 35 right now. Both those guys weren’t just showing up, they were legitimate difference-makers.
Cameron Heyward, 36 years old, is one of the best defensive tackles of his era, plain and simple. He started all 17 games for the Steelers, locking down his second second-team All-Pro honor, his sixth All-Pro nod overall. That’s insane production at that age. Then you have John Jenkins, 35, not a star but steady. For the Ravens, he started 14 games and played all 17, forcing a pair of fumbles and tallying a respectable 64.7 PFF grade, 45th among 134 qualified IDLs.
Rewind to 2024. Heyward was a first-team All-Pro at 35. Jenkins, also 35, posted the second-best Approximate Value of his career. Linval Joseph had a fine year in Dallas. And Calais Campbell, listed as a nose tackle, is a shining example of a lineman who is just as effective as they continue to age, defying the typical drop-off.
This isn’t some tiny, cherry-picked list. Go back a bit, and you find more dudes who defied Father Time: Damon “Snacks” Harrison, sought-after for years. Buffalo Bills legend Kyle Williams was a Pro Bowler at 35 in 2018. Hollis Thomas, 35, gave the Carolina Panthers a year of quality snaps in 2009. The point? While not many last to that age, the ones who do aren’t just serviceable bodies. They are legitimate needle movers, guys who consistently impact games.
Sam Monson, a guy who knows his stuff, put it best: Aaron Donald is already one of the freakiest humans to ever play this game. Trying to count him out, trying to guess how much he’s lost, feels like a total waste of time, especially with this historical trend staring us all down. We’re about to find out exactly how much of that prime Aaron Donald the 2026 version still has in the tank. Get ready, because if history is any guide, he’s not just coming back to participate. He’s coming back to be a massively impactful piece for that Rams defense, and the NFL better be ready.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Turf Show Times.
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