Kyler Murray had a smile on his face as he sat during his press conference this week.
The reason? The Cardinals quarterback was reminded that Aaron Donald won’t be suiting up for the Rams this weekend, and that he made a very public note of it when the Rams defensive tackle announced his retirement in March.
Murray took to Twitter (or X depending on who is asking) with a simple message. “THANK GOD,” it read.
“He is, in my eyes, the best of all time,” Murray said.
In 20 regular-season games against the Cardinals, Donald had 16 sacks and 26 tackles for loss, 34 quarterback hits, and 74 tackles. His impact on most of those games was apparent. Now, though, he is gone.
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said Donald “is a Hall of Famer so obviously it’s different” when comparing the 2023 Rams to the team the Cardinals will host in their home opener on Sunday. Staff and players alike acknowledge that even without Donald, the Rams have a stout defensive line.
Players like defensive end Kobie Turner, rookie Braden Fiske, Byron Young and first-round pick Jared Verse have showcased their ability already. That was on display in the Week 1 matchup when they played the Lions and Young and Verse each had a sack.
But when Donald was on the field, he was the player that had the Cardinals attention.
“Those guys could have been shining last year, but we wouldn’t have been able to tell because we were meeting about one guy,” left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. said. “Now the respect is spread out across the room with how we prepare.”
Without as much of a need to locate a specific player on the line, it allows for more of a focus on protections and communication, Johnson said.
With Kelvin Beachum stepping in for Jonah Williams at right tackle after Williams was placed on injured reserve, being in-sync is critical to keeping Murray upright.
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing had to scheme plays against Donald twice last season, a challenge that has caused nightmares for play callers throughout the NFL for a decade.
“(Donald) is arguably the best ever, and I think that’s real,” Petzing said. “That being said, the guys that they have on the D-Line are still pretty good. That’s probably the strength of the unit, arguably the strength of the team. I think it’s something we still have to be very aware of. It’s just more of a by committee talent maybe than one ‘oh my god’ player.”
It goes beyond a pass rush. Last season at home against the Rams, with Donald anchoring the unit, James Conner finished as the Cardinals’ leading rusher with 27 yards.
The Cardinals will see what life is like without 99 on the other side.
“They’re still, obviously, well coached and got a lot of great young players out there that play super hard,” Murray said. “Those things are unmatched. Any D-Line that plays really hard and tries to get after the quarterback the way that they do is going to be a tough matchup for you.
“But I’m glad he’s not going to be out there on Sunday for sure.”
