RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesWith the hype surrounding the possibility of an Aaron Donald return, there are some who believe that Los Angeles Rams defender Braden Fiske will be the one to lose playing time. As interior rushers who play off nose tackles, both defenders would likely be asked to do the same job. As primary pass rushers, the idea is that Donald will get more snaps because, well, he's Aaron Donald. Thus, Fiske would lose out.
That's not the case. Fiske would not suffer if teamed up with Donald. In fact, if Donald were to return, it would be the best thing for his career.
Practice with experience
The reason the Rams continue to churn out top talents is that they have a system where veteran players feel comfortable teaching younger guys. It's a special element of the Rams that has allowed the team's culture to thrive, despite constant roster changes.
A primary example is Davante Adams and Puka Nacua. Nacua, already armed with all the tools Cooper Kupp could provide, took his game to another level when he incorporated Adams' tricks to create advantages at the line of scrimmage. Donald would have the same impact on Fiske.
Fiske is a true student of the game and his athleticism is greatly underrated. One of Donald's best traits was that he could play anywhere on the line and I believe Fiske is able to as well, depending on job responsibilities.
Fiske experimented with playing an edge role briefly in 2025, and while it didn't catch on, I think the Rams were onto something. Not only could that lead to more playing time, but Fiske is very athletic, and if he can hold an edge, he could develop into a critical part of the run defense, especially against teams who love to use play action. In that scenario, his pure pass-rushing prowess will come into play.
If Donald returns, he will get his snaps. However, it will force the team to get creative on Fiske's usage because he's too talented to keep off the field. That means those lessons from Donald, lessons that naturally come about within the team's culture, those lessons will be put into practice.
Besides, Donald is 35. He's an athletic freak, but he won't be able to recover like he used to. Those short weeks will be rough turnarounds requiring Fiske to pick up the load. Fiske will get his snaps.
If Donald is there, not only will Fiske get these benefits, but the team will also be able to rotate their linemen more effectively, maintaining stamina and effectiveness. Plus, Donald may only return for one year. Fiske is for the future and would be taking those experiences with him.
There's no world where Fiske does not benefit immensely from Donald's return. Fiske is too good to be sidelined, and Donald is too selfless not to be the leader he's always been.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Aaron Donald's potential return would help, not hurt Braden Fiske
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