With the early-season schedule offering the Philadelphia Eagles a handful of opposing defenses to start strong against, there lies one defensive unit on the slate that might prove to be a brick wall.
As reported by Ian Rapoport, the chatter surrounding a potential Aaron Donald return is picking up serious steam. Workouts are ramping up, and the growing potential of the star rejoining the Rams could give Hurts and the Eagles offense a fair bit of nightmare fuel in Week 4:
"Obviously, we've seen him (Donald) on Instagram, he's still jacked, he's still lifting," Rapoport said. "He has basically been getting himself in the kind of shape that you do when you take a lot of Instagram videos."
"Football shape is a little bit different, so it certainly sounds like Aaron Donald is going to start working out football-wise and take the next little bit of time to say, 'Can I get in football shape enough to be the Aaron Donald that I was' or the best and closest thing to that when he left the NFL."
New Eagles offense will face a whole new level of defense in Week 4 against the Rams
For a team that has absolutely taken the Eagles down to the wire the last two times they've visited The Linc, adding a surefire Canton-bound force to the interior would only add to the ferocity the Rams now brandish on their defensive front.
With Myles Garrett now donning the blue and yellow, a pairing of Donald and Garrett would form a 1-2 punch with extraordinary accomplishments. The duo has garnered a combined five Defensive Player of the Year awards, while tormenting quarterbacks to the tune of 236.5 sacks.
And while the Eagles open up with a home game against Washington, before squaring off with two more susceptible defenses in Tennessee and Chicago, their new-look offense could have its hands full in Week 4's tilt with the Rams. Each of the last two times these teams have squared off, the Rams had victory well within reach before Philadelphia stormed back.
This updated version of the Rams defense has the makings of an elite unit up front, and for a fresh offensive coordinator in Sean Mannion embarking on his first-ever mission spearheading an offense, running into this stacked Rams front in Week 4 could be tough sledding.
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Eagles fans will see just how legit this brand new offense is once the Rams come to town, and if the rumors of a Donald return do in fact come to fruition, the Birds must be prepared for serious heat being placed on their star signal-caller.
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