There are few players in NFL history more terrifying than Myles Garrett. His new teammate is one of them. Aaron Donald has officially returned to the Los Angeles Rams after retiring from football after the 2023 season. The multi-time Defensive Player of the Year is the final piece of a defensive puzzle built to wreck opposing offenses.
The news of Donald's return couldn't be worse for Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants. The G-Men travel to Los Angeles to play the Rams on Monday Night Football in Week 2. Their offensive line improved this offseason with the addition of rookie guard Francis Mauigoa, but it's still not built to handle this L.A. unit.
Big Blue could be weeks away from a massacre.
Aaron Donald's Rams return is bad news for the Giants
Reports out of Giants training camp indicated that Dart is experiencing some growing pains as he adjusts to Matt Nagy's offense. The second-year quarterback has been slow to process reads, often delivering the ball a hair too late. While he had a couple of electric plays in the preseason, the inconsistency was still there.
He won't have time to hesitate against this Rams defense. Los Angeles has built a unit resembling the "Monstars" in its pursuit of a title this season, and the Giants could be one of the first teams to experience the consequences.
Myles Garrett is already nearly impossible to handle. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year broke the NFL single-season sack record in 2025, and he doesn't show any signs of slowing down. He commands double teams in most clear passing situations, and even then, he often finds his way to the quarterback.
With Donald back in the fold, the Giants won't be able to consistently double team doth defensive linemen. They'll have to rely heavily on the quick passing game, putting more on Dart's plate in his second start in this new scheme.
It doesn't get much easier on the back end of the Rams' defense. They traded for former All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and signed Jaylen Watson this offseason, giving them a formidable secondary.
Donald has a history of terrorizing Giants quarterbacks. In his last contest with the G-Men, he came away with two sacks, helping the Rams to a narrow 26-25 victory. In fact, L.A. has beaten New York in each of the last four matchups between the two teams, largely on the back of Donald's suffocating defense. Donald has posted at least half a sack in each of those four games.
In just his 14th start, Dart will be up against a nightmarish defensive front and targeting a talented secondary. It's a recipe for disaster.
This will be one of the biggest tests of the young quarterback's career. The Giants need a strong start against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 and the Rams in Week 2 in their push to return to the playoffs in John Harbaugh's first season.
If Dart can overcome this challenge, there may be nothing he can't accomplish.
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