Aaron Donald has been one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL for the better part of the last decade, but the Los Angeles Rams star has finally given someone else an opportunity to earn one prestigious honor.
Heading into the 2022 season, Donald finished as Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded pass rusher seven straight years. PFF lead analyst Sam Monson revealed on Thursday that Donald will not be given the honor again this season, as expected.
Many people speculate that the award will go to San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa, who has a league-leading 17.5 sacks this season.
Donald has five sacks this year, though he has played in just 11 games. It is his first season without reaching double-digit sacks since 2016. Donald’s sack totals the past five seasons were as follows: 12.5, 13.5, 12.5, 20.5, 11.
The 31-year-old Donald remains a force, but the Rams as a whole have had a disappointing season. We are guessing Donald won’t be discouraged by missing out on PFF’s award for the first time in seven years. Though, he did come quite close to calling it a career a year ago. That will be a storyline to watch again in the coming weeks.
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