Aaron Donald has become the best defensive player in the NFL, but one of his former teammates is ready to take things one step further.

Chris Long was with the Los Angeles Rams for Donald's first two seasons.

"I'd like to credit myself with being the first person to know he was going to be amazing," Long jokingly told Gus Frerotte of the "Huddle Up with Gus" podcast. "We used to joke his rookie camp that he was going to be in the Hall of Fame, but I kind of wasn't joking."

Long called Donald "the best football player in the world, in my opinion."

The Los Angeles Rams have continually downplayed any issue with Todd Gurley's knee despite missed time during the team's run to the Super Bowl last season.

However, Travelle Gaines, Gurley's personal trainer, confirmed that the running back has arthritic issues stemming from an ACL tear in college. He downplayed any impact on Gurley's play.

"Everybody knew when Todd came out of Georgia that there would be some kind of arthritic component to his knee, which is part of every surgery whether it's a shoulder, a knee, an ankle," Gaines said.

"He's now at the year-five mark, all we're doing is managing that. If we can pound him less in the offseason while keeping his weight down, working on his strength, working on his agility in short areas, that's going to give him a better chance to be healthy Weeks 14 through 17 when they really count."

Todd Gurley missed time late last season because of a knee injury, but the running back doesn't seem concerned.

He's remained off the field during the Los Angeles Rams' offseason program.

"I had bigger problems to worry about coming out of college. This is small," Gurley said in reference to the ACL tear he suffered in his final year at Georgia.

Questions about Todd Gurley's left knee remain while he also attempts to shed a few pounds this offseason.

Sean McVay addressed Gurley on Monday.

"I want him to feel most comfortable. That's the most important thing, what he feels he can most function at, being the all-purpose back he's been and that's where we're at," McVay said. "So he says, 'I'd rather play five, 10 pounds lighter,' and he's going to feel better about that, then that's exactly what we'll do. He's earned the right to be able to tell us how he's feeling with the give and take. As long as he's got a why, which I know he does, we're always receptive to those things."

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that it is understood in Los Angeles that Gurley will no longer be the bell-cow back that he was over the first four seasons of his career.

Acquired by the Los Angeles Rams during last season, Dante Fowler is working to prove to the team that he's worth a long-term deal.

Fowler signed a one-year, $12 million deal with the Rams this offseason.

"I'm just going to go out there and bust my tail and try to be the best player I can be on and off the field so I can try to figure out a way to stay here," Fowler said.