Two of the NFL’s best rosters will collide when the Broncos meet the Rams on Sunday night at Empower Field.
Los Angeles looks different than what Sean Payton and company would have imagined back in the spring.
The Rams will not have All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett, the blockbuster trade addition earlier this year, and may not have All-Pro wide receiver Puka Nacua, either.
They will, however, feature one of the greatest defensive players of all time who, until Monday night, had not played in an NFL game in more than two years.
That’s Aaron Donald, the three-time NFL defensive player of the year and eight-time All-Pro.
Donald, 35, retired in March of 2024. For context, that’s a month before the Broncos drafted quarterback Bo Nix in the first round of the 2024 draft.
Donald, though, started considering a return over the summer after the Rams acquired Garrett via trade and eventually formalized a remarkable comeback late in training camp. He didn’t play in L.A.’s season-opener in Australia, but returned to action Monday night against the New York Giants and played 33 snaps (57%).
“I’ve never met him personally or anything like that, but just have admired his game for such a long time,” Broncos defensive tackle Malcolm Roach said earlier this week. “He’s if not the best, then one of the best football players to ever walk this earth.”
Donald, now 35 years old, was drafted No. 13 overall in the 2014 draft and immediately became one of the best interior defensive linemen in the game. Over a dominant decade, he ascended to the pantheon of all-time greats.
Donald has said he didn’t want to return to the field unless he thought he could play like he did before his retirement. The Broncos say they expect nothing less.
“If anything, he could be better because he’s got some good rest,” quarterback Bo Nix said Wednesday. “It’s exciting to play the greats. It always is. I know he’s a really good football player who’s going to provide a challenge that we haven’t necessarily faced before. He’s literally one of the best at his position of all time. You don’t play (a guy like that) many Sundays.
Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald enters the field before an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Inglewood, Calif., Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
“He’s going to be a good player. He’s going to play more and more as the season goes. I’m sure he’s just getting back in the swing of things. But a dominant player for a long time and so, honestly, don’t expect anything different.
“We’ve just got to limit the times he’s dominant.”
Donald is off to a good start, though it’s possible that the Broncos are fortunate to catch him before he gets fully ramped up. Certainly, once Garrett returns from injured reserve, the pair will mark one of the most decorated defensive duos to ever line up across from one another.
Roach played four years in New Orleans before coming to Denver and saw Donald’s Rams in 2022 and 2023.
“If anyone is able to do it, I’m pretty sure it’s probably him,” Roach said of the return after more than two years on the sidelines. “Any time you have a future Hall of Famer on the field, it’s going to present challenges. … Aaron Donald coming back, always to have guys that are going to be in the Hall of Fame one day but is still an active player, it’s just good because you just never know when it’s the last time you get to see these guys play.
“It’s good for the game of football and it’s good for the league.”
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