It's often said that good things come to those who wait. Hopefully that rings true for the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday when they finally – finally – get to see their vision of pairing two future Hall of Famers together on the defensive front.
It took half the season, but Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett will take the field as teammates for the first time this Sunday against the Washington Commanders. It was supposed to happen in Week 1 but Aaron Donald was still working his way back from retirement. It was supposed to happen in Week 2 (and every week after that), but Garrett's knee was so problematic that it required surgery and a seven-week stint on injured reserve.
The wait is just about over, as Garrett is set to be activated from injured reserve
and play against the Commanders this weekend.
They'll become just the second tandem since 2000 to suit up as teammates with at least 100 career sacks each. And they'll be the first pair of teammates ever with 100 career sacks and a 20-sack season each. That's how historic this partnership will be.
Combined, they have five Defensive Player of the Year awards and 13 first-team All-Pro selections.
Members of the 100-sack club to play in the same game together since 2000:
— John Todd (@JohnToddNFL) November 6, 2026
J.J. Watt & Chandler Jones for the 2021 Cardinals
And now, finally, Myles Garrett & Aaron Donald for the 2026 #Rams#RamsHouse https://t.co/OqO7s0CFtg
Garrett's return obviously lifts the whole defense. Adding a two-time Defensive Player of the Year to the mix would help any team. But with another future Hall of Famer like Donald on the interior, it's going to make it nearly impossible to block both of them consistently throughout the game.
Donald is excited to have Garrett back, saying Thursday that he looked "good" and "fast" in practice.
“It's good to have the pieces back to the puzzle," he said. "Was good to see him out there yesterday, today, looking good, looking fast. Getting to work with him in full pads and playing off each other. It looked pretty good today, so I’m excited about having him here, having him back, and seeing what we do Sunday.”
Even after two years in retirement, Donald is still seeing a lot of attention from opposing linemen, drawing double teams each and every week. But with Garrett back, he thinks that'll make things a bit easier for him, knowing offenses now have to account for another superstar on the edge.
"I'm pretty sure," he said, smiling. "I mean, the guy did have 20-something sacks last year. But I'm going to go out there and just play, we're all going to just play. If Myles is 100% ready to go and he plays this week, that's going to be amazing for us, great, because it's like I've said, it's always good when we get all the pieces to the puzzle out there."
Donald doesn't have a sack yet, nor does Garrett. It won't be easy for them to get Jayden Daniels on the ground Sunday, given the quarterback's speed and elusiveness, but they hope to execute the game plan and limit the damage Daniels can do on the ground by being disciplined and smart with their rushes.
It may not be a game where they can pin their ears back and hunt an immobile quarterback in the pocket, but they're going to play off one another and make life difficult for the Commanders offense Sunday afternoon.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: We're finally going to see Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald as teammates
