Lions' Dan Campbell Ahead of Rams Game: Nice Not to Have to Worry About Aaron Donald

Dan Campbell is not going to miss game planning against Aaron Donald.

The Detroit Lions head coach spoke with Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com prior to the team's season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. He noted how the absence of Donald as something that will make his job a little easier.

"You needed to know where he was at all times, really on all downs," Campbell said, per Twentyman. "It was constantly – you were shifting and motioning just for him, and you're damn near doing it every play."

That doesn't mean he is taking the Rams defense lightly, as he acknowledged the strong young talent in Jared Verse, Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner and how they will give his team some trouble.

"It's nice not to have to necessarily worry about (Donald), but the guys they have over there are young and hungry, high motor," Campbell said, per Twentyman."Man, they've got an influx of youth that's pretty damn talented."

Donald retired following the 2023 season, with his final game being a 24-23 Wild Card round loss to Campbell's Lions. He was a 10-time Pro Bowler, three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner and helped lead Los Angeles to a Super Bowl LVI trophy in 2021.

His presence on the line will is irreplaceable, but the young talent on the roster will try to at least keep the unit formidable. Verse was the team's first-round pick in 2024 after a collegiate year in which he registered 48 tackles and nine sacks for Florida State.

Fiske was a second-round pick and also Verse's teammate with the Seminoles. He recorded 43 tackles and six sacks in 2024. Turner was a 2023 draftee and recorded nine sacks in his rookie season with the Rams.

The Lions will hope the offensive line can hold off the rush and give quarterback Jared Goff some time to operate. Detroit is coming off an NFC Conference Championship appearance and looking to reach the Super Bowl for the first time.

The Rams-Lions game will take place Sept. 8 at 8:20 p.m.