During football season, it’s usually not too hard to find Andrew Whitworth. After all, the big man plays a big role on the desk crew for Thursday Night Football.
This week, however, the Super Bowl LVI champion has been making the media rounds while also playing a few rounds of golf at the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe, and he’s shared his thoughts on a couple of the biggest Rams headlines from this summer.
That starts with Myles Garrett, the reigning defensive player of the year and the biggest
name moved this offseason. Whitworth joined Good Morning Football this week and was asked for his thoughts about the Garrett addition.
“I’m just thankful I’m not there practicing against Myles Garrett,” Whitworth joked, adding:
It’s going to be a huge impact, I think we all know that. I think one of the big things, too, it’s not just his play but the way this guy goes about his business. I got a chance to be around him a little bit this offseason, and he’s going to be another one of these guys, I think of when AD was there, I think of some of the veterans that have been there that I’ve been around that have really had an impact on the locker room. There’s going to be a lot of young guys who can follow him and really the day-by-day consistency he goes by chasing his craft to be excellent at it.
Sometimes the intangible stuff can really be overrated in football. Like when a new coach is hired and their biggest asset is that they’re a “leader,” that doesn’t necessarily tell you much and certainly doesn’t always translate to actual on-field success. But when a respected voice and former star player like Andrew Whitworth mentions it, it’s worth listening.
It’s been said before, but it is worth noting the less direct ways Garrett is going to impact this Rams defense. He’s going to draw an incredible amount of attention from opposing offenses, just like he did with the Cleveland Browns, which on the field is going to open up more opportunities for Byron Young, Kobie Turner, etc. But if his work ethic, leadership, just his standard for excellence rubs off at all on the rest of the defensive front, there’s another level this group can reach in 2026.
Whitworth also became the 10 billionth person (roughly) to discuss Aaron Donald potentially returning to the Rams in the wake of the Garrett acquisition. Speaking to the California Post, Whitworth said he thinks it’s all going to come down to understanding and weighing the risks of injuries for Donald.
“Aaron’s a guy like me,” Whitworth said. “He’s training all the time no matter what. You know when you go in there a few days how you feel and whether that’s everyday life ‘feel good,’ or I could sign up to play football. But only he will know that.”
Whitworth is likely as tied in to Donald’s thinking as anyone, considering the two of them remain close and are hosting a youth camp together next weekend. And Whitworth also knows what Donald is pondering right now, as he mentioned in the interview that he also contemplated a return after retiring, only to determine the injury risk wasn’t worth it.
Granted, Whitworth was in his early 40s when he hung it up, while Donald is two years out of the game and still in his mid 30s. Still, it’s hard to jump back into the unique physical violence of an NFL season after avoiding those constant car crashes for a couple of years now.
