Aaron Donald is back, and he’s not coming back alone.
The Rams are set to pair the retired defensive tackle with edge rusher Myles Garrett, giving Los Angeles two of the NFL’s most decorated defenders on the same roster for 2026. Donald and Garrett have each piled up AP and Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year honors since 2017, and together they’ve combined to win those awards in five of the past nine seasons.
That kind of star power naturally invites one question: does this almost guarantee a title run? NFL history says the answer has often been yes - though not always.
The league has handed out AP Defensive Player of the Year honors since 1971, and the first winner, Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page, reached four Super Bowls without ever winning one. But the early standard for this kind of pairing was set in Pittsburgh.
In 1972, Steelers defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene won the award and went on to help Pittsburgh capture four championships. He later shared that DPOY pedigree with cornerback Mel Blount, who won in 1975, and linebacker Jack Lambert, who won in 1976.
That Steelers run became the benchmark for what happens when elite defenders stack up on the same roster.
There are other examples, too, and most of them point in the same direction. The Ravens had Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs all at once across the 2003-2012 span, and that group helped Baltimore win Super Bowl 35 after the 2000 season and Super Bowl 47 after the 2011 season. The Steelers also doubled up again with James Harrison and Troy Polamalu, who each won DPOY and each helped Pittsburgh win Super Bowl 40 and Super Bowl 43.
The 49ers got a championship out of it as well. In 1994, Deion Sanders won DPOY for San Francisco after returning three of his six interceptions for touchdowns, while defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield was part of that same defense. Together, they won Super Bowl 29.
The Buccaneers had their own version with Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks, who were part of the defense that carried Tampa Bay to Super Bowl 37 over the Raiders.
The Bills, though, are the cautionary tale. Bruce Smith won DPOY for the 1990 season, Bryce Paup took the award in 1995, and Smith won again in 1996.
But during the three seasons Paup and Smith were together, Buffalo did not get to the Super Bowl. The Bills fell short of the AFC Championship Game twice and then missed the playoffs.
That’s the backdrop for what the Rams are trying to build now. Donald already won Super Bowl 56 with Los Angeles before this new pairing ever existed. Garrett, meanwhile, has made the playoffs only twice as a Brown, after the 2020 and 2023 seasons.
Still, the historical pattern is hard to ignore: when teams have brought multiple Defensive Players of the Year together, the reward has usually been a Lombardi Trophy. The Bills are the exception. The Rams are banking on being the rule.
In Other News...
Ravens Face A Nervous Wait As Young Talent Hits Waivers
The Ravens have trimmed their roster to 53, and the hard part is only beginning. After releasing more than two dozen players, Baltimore now has to sit through the NFL waiver process while other teams sort through the same cuts, and the next move is already lined up with a 16-man practice squad waiting to be filled.
For a team that has spent the summer sorting out young talent at the margins, the real tension is which of those cut players make it back to Baltimore once waivers clear, and which ones are gone for good. Several names are considered legitimate claim risks, while the Ravens are also lining up possible practice squad additions if the board breaks their way. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Just Turned Tyler Loops Job Into A Real Battle
The Ravens added another layer to a kicking competition that was already worth watching, signing veteran Jake Moody to the practice squad as they continue sorting out the spot. Moody brings NFL experience from San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, and his familiarity with Ravens coaches Jesse Minter and Declan Doyle gives the move a little extra intrigue beyond a simple depth add.
Baltimore also filled out the practice squad with several other players as it looks to strengthen depth across key positions, but the kicking job is the part that now has a real test attached to it. For Tyler Loop, the message is clear: the organization is not content to let the position settle without another look, and every rep from here carries more weight. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens 53-Man Roster Leaves Two Big Week 1 Questions Open
The Ravens came out of roster cutdown day with a Week 1 group that answered plenty of the obvious questions, but not all of them. Baltimore kept defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan on the initial 53-man roster despite limited practice time, a sign the team was willing to carry some uncertainty into the opener while also preserving depth at key spots. The front office also used the deadline to shuffle the edges of the roster, designating players to return from injured reserve and making trades that sent nose tackle C.J. Okoye and offensive tackle Diego Pounds elsewhere.
What stands out is how much of the roster picture still feels unfinished even after the official cutdown. The Ravens also held onto undrafted rookies Joe Fagnano and Ethan Burke, a reminder that the team is still willing to bet on upside while trimming other hopefuls loose. For a roster built to contend right away, the real question now is not just who survived the first wave of decisions, but which of these early moves will matter once Week 1 arrives and the game-day health report starts to shape the lineup. [Read more 🡒]