With Aaron Donald‘s NFL retirement announcement on Friday, the Los Angeles Rams defense’s perspective was drastically altered. Donald was expected to return for the Rams’ 2024 season, if not 2025, as general manager Les Snead’s team attempted to make a last-ditch effort with its three cornerstones. That will surely not be the case, though.

The Rams currently find themselves in a situation that they will need to resolve. The absence of Aaron Donald has left a massive void on defense that needs to be filled. Top defensive free agents are no longer available. The Rams need to be able to get an experienced player with star power who can hold and produce on their own, even though they obviously won’t be able to replace Donald.

The Aaron Donald effect was real during Donald’s career as offensive coordinators adjusted their game plans to accommodate him. Players would usually have unobstructed routes to the quarterback or one-on-one chances as a result, something they might not have otherwise had.

The 2019 season, in which Dante Fowler Jr. recorded 11.5 sacks, is a prime illustration of this. Following his free agency departure to join the Atlanta Falcons, Fowler totaled 7.5 sacks in the following two seasons. Playing alongside Donald with the Rams, Fowler—a previous first-round choice who had struggled in Jacksonville—found success.

Chase Young is another player who fits the same prototype that is now available. Young hasn’t always shown that he can produce on his own, even though he would provide the Rams with some firepower on the edge. After being acquired by the San Francisco 49ers in the previous season, he let us down. With just 24 pressures in Weeks 10–17, Young tied for 30th place, and his 11.1 percent victory rate placed him 39th. All of this occurred while he was a member of one of the NFL’s more potent defensive lines.

It is accurate to say that the Rams may select an edge rusher in the first round with their 19th overall choice. That being said, it’s difficult to predict how big of an impact a rookie pass-rusher would have right away if Donald didn’t contribute to opportunity creation.

Twelve edge rushers have been selected in the first round of the draft between picks 15 and 32 since 2020. Out of those guys, just two had more than five sacks and forty pressures. It’s important to remember that, thanks to the Donald effect, Byron Young recorded eight sacks and 51 pressures in the previous season after being selected in the third round.

Here is the list of edge rushers drafted in the first round between picks 15 and 32 and their sack/pressure production as rookies:

• Will McDonald: 3 sacks, 12 pressures
• Myles Murphy: 3 sacks, 15 pressures
• Felix Anudike-Uzomah: 0.5 sacks, 11 pressures
• Jermaine Johnson: 2.5 sacks, 14 pressures
• George Karlaftis: 6 sacks, 49 pressures
• Jaelan Phillips: 6.5 sacks, 39 pressures
• Kwity Paye: 4 sacks, 39 pressures
• Payton Turner: 1 sack, 10 pressures
• Greg Rousseau: 4 sacks, 36 pressures
• Odafe Oweh: 5 sacks, 49 pressures
• Joe Tryon: 4 sacks, 33 pressures
• K’Lavon Chaisson: 1 sack, 29 pressures

The Rams would probably be looking at a five-sack season if they were to select an edge rusher in the first round, such as Laiatu Latu, Chop Robinson, or Jared Verse. Indeed, several of the athletes on this list advanced to the second year of competition. Karlaftis, for instance, increased his sack total from six to 10.5 this season. Paye had gotten better over time, going from four sacks to six, and then to 8.5 in 2023. In year two, Rousseau quadrupled his number of rookie sacks, totaling eight.

Nevertheless, the Rams require more instantaneous output off the edge from a proven player unless they plan to use 2024 as a defensive retooling year. With Brian Burns traded to the New York Giants, that really only leaves one choice. Again, the only sensible move is to trade for an experienced guy off the edge like Haason Reddick, who has double digit sacks in each of the previous four seasons, unless the Rams are retooling the defense in the wake of Donald’s retirement.

Following Bryce Huff’s free agency signing, the Eagles decided to extendnd Josh Sweat. General manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles front office have already given Reddick permission to facilitate a trade.

The Eagles have Sweat, Huff, and drafted Nolan Smith last year. Given Reddick has been given permission to seek a trade, it’s highly unlikely that he is back in Philadelphia. With the Rams’ need for a star-level pass rusher, Reddick is the only legitimate option that is available. The cost to acquire him also shouldn’t be too much. Only a bidding war between another team in need of an edge rusher would complicate that.

Last year was seen as a down year for Reddick and he still ended up with 11 sacks. Reddick’s true sack score of 9.0 ranked 16th in the NFL last season, but six of those sacks were considered high quality according to Trench Warfare. Reddick is an elite player at a premium position. Again, since moving to edge rusher fill time, he has double-digit sacks in every season. The only players with more sacks over that period are TJ Watt, Myles Garrett, and Trey Hendrickson. This is a player that has shown that he can create pressure on his own.

If the Rams were to trade for Reddick, they would likely also have to give him a contract. However, that contract would almost definitely line up with other contracts that they’ve handed out recently with a maximum of three years on the length. Reddick fits that current timeline.

The Rams won’t be replacing Donald, even if they were to trade for a player like Reddick. However, Reddick would at least give that pass-rush productivity immediately and fill those shoes much quicker than a potential rookie. If the Rams are looking to fill the void left by Donald, they are better off doing so with an experienced, star-caliber player like Reddick if the goal is still to compete for a Super Bowl over the next two years.