‘Aaron Donald Is Back’, ‘We Have the Evidence’ — Former NFL Players Make Their Feelings Clear as Superstar Rams DT Makes His Return on MNF

The hype for the Los Angeles Rams was through the roof this offseason. After trading for Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett, the defense seemed to be much improved. Then, they got the icing on the cake in the form of Aaron Donald’s return to the gridiron.

However, fans had to wait an extra week for his official debut. After the Rams kept him home from the season-opening trip to Australia, he saw his first action in Week 2 against the New York Giants. Understandably, former players had a lot to say about it.

Former Players Give Aaron Donald His Dues

One of the most dominant players ever, Donald forged his legacy as arguably the greatest defender of the 2010s decade. But after three Defensive Player of the Year awards and a Super Bowl, he chose to call it a career in 10 seasons.

Now, choosing to make his return for a potential swansong, he delivered fantastic early returns. Suiting up for 32 snaps, he had three tackles and a QB pressure. But as Benjamin Solak of ESPN noted, his 0.75-second average get-off was the third-fastest by a defensive tackle in a game this season.

It left Shannon Sharpe stunned by how good he looked despite having retired from the sport several years earlier. As a result, he was waxing lyrical about his performance on the “Nightcap” podcast.

“Two and a half years, come back, and constantly double-teamed,” Sharpe claimed. “Who’s the guy that can come in and do what Aaron Donald did? Because he got constantly double-teamed the entire night.”

Shannon sharpe says Aaron Donald been out the league 2 years and the giants were constantly double teaming him we’ve never seen that before from a guy who’s been out the game for soo long . Also the La rams offense looked real good tonight pic.twitter.com/21uGVpjD7y

— NBA Hoops (@Thechat101) September 22, 2026

Going a step further, he explained the Giants’ mindset. “You are not gonna be a hero in our story. I refuse to let that happen. I know everybody talking about man, why y’all doubling him? Because he’s still Aaron Donald.”

That respect for Donald was critical for a Rams team that needed to bounce back after a brutal showing in Week 1. Getting blown out by the San Francisco 49ers in the first-ever NFL game on Australian soil, things got worse as they had to place Myles Garrett on IR after the game.

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“Aaron Donald been out the league 2 years and ain’t missed a beat. He will go down as the best defensive player of all time,” former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko claimed.

Former Super Bowl champion Chase Daniel, too, was in awe of everything the Rams were able to accomplish. Daniel, who hosts “The First Read” on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” platform, put out a quick reaction to the performance on X.

Chase Daniel reacts to an irregular Monday Night Football game in LA pic.twitter.com/HZ7BaJkvPP

— Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) September 22, 2026

“The Rams are all the way back. Aaron Donald’s back. Most importantly, Matthew Stafford put him at the top of the MVP race. I mean, this dude, unbelievable. And by the way, they did this without Puka Nacua.”

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Another former champion and ESPN analyst, Jason McCourty, also reacted to Donald’s return. Even though it was far from a typical Donald game, he was firmly convinced this was only the beginning for the 10-time Pro Bowler.

“We’ve seen this guy perform when he’s in peak shape and when he’s at his best, and I think tonight was just a glimpse of that.”@JasonMcCourty reacts to Aaron Donald’s first game back out of retirement 🏈 pic.twitter.com/R8dN9k22bP

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 22, 2026

“I think we have the evidence,” McCourty claimed. “We’ve seen this guy perform when he’s in peak shape and when he’s at his best. I think tonight was just a glimpse of that.”

It remains to be seen whether Donald can improve as the season progresses or if this will be the version the Rams get from him. But if Garrett returns healthy later this season, pairing him with Donald could give the Rams a formidable defensive front.

After a rough first week, it looks like the hype around this team may have been well justified.