CBS Sports examined what Aaron Donald’s return could mean for his pairing with Myles Garrett, focusing less on hype than on how other late-career superstar combinations turned out. Donald is coming back after two years away, joining a team that also includes Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and Trent McDuffie under Sean McVay.
At 35, Donald’s form after the layoff is one of the central uncertainties, while CBS Sports expects Garrett to remain a major force. The pair already has a distinction no other teammates share: they are the first duo to enter a season with multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards for each player. Their combined total is five such awards, with Garrett owning two and Donald three, and they have 13 first-team All-Pro selections at defensive line. They also are the first teammates to enter a season with at least 100 career sacks apiece since Derrick Thomas and Leslie O’Neal did so for the Chiefs in 1999. Donald’s career rates include 0.72 sacks per game at defensive tackle and a 20.5-sack season, while Garrett’s rate is 0.94 sacks per game across all positions. Garrett is coming off a single-season record total, and the ceiling for the new pairing includes a possible 40-plus sacks together.
CBS Sports cautioned that the duo has not yet taken a snap together, making comparisons with established tandems such as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed or Alan Page and Carl Eller premature. The article instead looked at decorated players who joined forces later in their careers, including Jerry Rice with Tim Brown and Deion Sanders with Darrell Green.
One cautionary example was Mike Evans and Julio Jones with the Buccaneers in 2022. Evans produced more receiving yards, while Jones finished with fewer yards in 10 games after previously recording 434 yards in 10 games with the Titans. Jones did not reach 300 yards in his only season with Tampa Bay, and the Buccaneers lost in the Wildcard round.
That outcome contrasts with the possibility that Donald and Garrett could match the impact of some of the league’s strongest defensive pairings, although CBS Sports also noted that injury or a decline in Donald’s explosiveness could change the result.
For now, the numbers make the partnership historically decorated on paper, but its actual value will depend on what the two defensive players produce together.