Rams defender 'excited for the challenge' without Aaron Donald

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald was not only the Rams' best player during his 10-year NFL career but arguably the best player in the league during that span.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year officially retired this offseason, leaving Los Angeles with some big questions on defense. The team will never fully fill Donald's shoes, but veteran linebacker Ernest Jones is certainly looking forward to trying.

"I'm excited for the challenge," Jones told reporters via FOX Sports' Eric Williams. "Defensively, we're excited about the challenge without AD."

Donald finished his career with 542 tackles, 111 sacks, 24 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. That's a lot of production for Jones and the rest of the Rams' defense to make up for.

Jones, a third-round pick in 2021, is coming off arguably his best season in the league with a career-high 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks.

"From the moment I got here, this was a goal of mine to be this leader of this defense," Jones added. "Kinda took that towards last year, but with him being gone now, there's a lot more eyes on me, which I can sure handle. Got a great group of guys that I'm looking forward to lead."

Los Angeles' defense feels like an up-and-coming group with the free-agent additions of cornerback Tre'Davious White and safety Kamren Curl as well as 2023 third-round picks Byron Young and Kobie Turner, who are returning after impressive rookie campaigns.

The Rams also have a good chance to add to the defense with their first first-round pick since 2016.

Although the task of replacing Donald will be difficult, Jones believes it's time for the rest of the defense to earn the respect they deserve.

"We get to go out there and now it's time for those guys to make a name for themselves, so it's just going to be a great task," said Jones.