Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Morning Ram-blings: Aaron Donald's impact

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- There haven't been many bright spots for the St. Louis Rams through the first eight weeks of the season. But one of the few has undoubtedly been rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

Donald has been as advertised nearly halfway through his rookie season, working his way into the starting lineup and becoming the disruptive force the Rams envisioned when they used the No. 13 overall pick on him in May.

Putting context behind Donald's start is not easy because his impact isn't limited solely to the numbers. But the folks at Pro Football Focus did their best to try to put Donald's efforts into perspective.

For what it's worth, Pro Football Focus had Donald ranked as the No. 1 defensive tackle in the NFL just a couple of weeks ago and they still have him graded No. 2, only behind Tampa Bay's Gerald McCoy.

Donald has 19 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in the more "official" stats. But what he brings every down goes well beyond the basic numbers. And the scary part is he's just getting started.

I.C.Y.M.I. 

A roundup of Wednesday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... A busy day began with the Ram-blings focusing on what the Rams have on injured reserve and decision to be made in the future. ... This week's Buzz video discusses the need for the Rams to finish games as fast as they start. ... Bucs reporter Pat Yasinskas then provided some perspective on new Rams addition Mark Barron. ... Linebacker Alec Ogletree only missed a few snaps against the Chiefs but it turns out he was actually benched briefly. ... The Rams continued making roster moves Wednesday morning. ... And they weren't done, signing receiver Damian Williams as well. ... This week's rookie review covered snaps counts and production for the Rams' rookies. ... We closed the day with a look at the Rams' different approach to Wednesday's practice.

Elsewhere: 

Not Rams related but human related, please read this great story from Texans reporter Tania Ganguli on Adam Podlesh and his family.

John Clayton's weekly mailbag covers the trade deadline and a variety of other topics.

At 101sports.com, Anthony Stalter provides some quick thoughts on the acquisition of Barron.

Kevin Wheeler wonders whether Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has lost his fastball.

At stltoday.com, Bernie Miklasz believes the Rams made a wise move in adding Barron.

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