Random Ramsdom: Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd Rank 1st among Pass Rushers

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By Blane Dydasco@BlaneDydasco Aug 14, 2021, 8:05am CDT

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Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald will find himself, once again at the top of a rankings list. But this time, he brings a teammate with him. Bucky Brookes of NFL.com ranks his top five pass rushing duos and has Donald and Leonard Floyd at the top of the list.

In 2020 Donald earned his third Defensive Player of the Year Award after starting in 16 regular season games and accumulating 13.5 sacks, the second most of his career. The Rams team captain, having just turned 30, shows no signs of slowing down and seems primed for another year of stressing passers and disrupting offenses.

Floyd was brought to Los Angeles from the Chicago Bears for his fifth season as a pro and during his first campaign with the Rams had a record-high 10.5 sacks. His speed and length make him a difficult challenge on the outside especially with Donald commanding the double teams on the interior.

Brookes’ rankings has the Rams’ Donald and Floyd above the other elite tandems of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Football Team, Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals. The leagues most competitive division, the NFC West, is the only group with two representatives in the top five.

After seven years of playing together, Donald will no longer be lining up next to Michael Brockers as he was traded to the Detroit Lions. Instead veteran A’Shawn Robinson will be up to fill the void. If Donald and Floyd maintain their spot throughout the season as the top pass rushing duo and if the Rams defense can cope with the losses of Brockers and Safety John Johnson III, then they might just repeat as the top rated defensive unit in the NFL.

And now for today’s links: