Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald ready to get back to work

Aaron Donald gave himself a week off after last season before training for the Pro Bowl. He took another week off after returning from Hawaii.

Other than that, the Rams’ defensive tackle refused to rest in preparation for his third NFL season.

“Right back to work,” Donald said.

Donald, 25, is a proven star for a Rams defense that is adjusting to the departure of several prominent players and team leaders from the last few seasons.

The 2014 NFL defensive rookie of the year and two-time Pro Bowl selection has been busy during organized team activities in Oxnard, not only refining his skills but also melding with members of a position group in transition after the exit of end Chris Long.

Long, an eight-year veteran and team captain, signed with the New England Patriots after the Rams released him in February to clear salary-cap space. Reserve tackle Nick Fairley also is gone after signing a free-agent contract with the New Orleans Saints. He spent one season with a Rams team that ranked 11th in the NFL in sacks and 20th against the run in 2015.

Tackles Michael Brockers and Donald still are working under rookie contracts, ends William Hayes and Eugene Sims re-signed during the off-season, and the Rams added free-agent end Quinton Coples and tackle Dominique Easley.

Two-time Pro Bowl end Robert Quinn, 26, also is working out as he tries to return after back surgery.

“Any time you bring in more playmakers, it’s going to be fun,” Donald said.

Listed at 6 feet 1 and 285 pounds, Donald ranks among the NFL’s most productive and disruptive defensive players. His 11 sacks last season increased his career total to 20. He also produced 26 hits on quarterbacks and 42 hurries last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

“He’s like a package of dynamite in there,” defensive line coach Mike Waufle said. “He’s not 300 pounds. He’s hard to handle.”

Donald, the 13th pick in the 2014 draft, said he was ready to assume a larger leadership role.

“I feel like I kind of earned the respect from the guys from what I did, and things like that,” he said. “Just playing my role and trying to do my part.”

Brockers, the 14th pick in the 2012 draft, is entering the final season of his contract, and General Manager Les Snead said in February that the Rams would explore extending his deal. Brockers, 25, is mainly a run-stopper, but he has 14½ career sacks.

“I definitely have to get better as a pass rusher,” he said, “and that’s what I’ve been focusing on every season, trying to get better at pushing the pocket and getting more pressure on the quarterback.”

Hayes, 31, and Sims, 30, were part of the line rotation last season. The Rams prefer to use seven to eight linemen each game.

Coples, the New York Jets’ first-round pick in the 2012 draft, said he was happy to be playing end again in a 4-3 scheme. The 6-6, 290-pounder played outside linebacker in the Jets’ 3-4 defense. The Jets waived him last November, and the Miami Dolphins released him in February.

Coples, 25, has 16½ career sacks. The chance to rush the passer from a three-point stance — as opposed to standing up and dropping into pass coverage as a linebacker — drew Coples to the Rams.

“It was an opportunity for me to put my hand in the dirt and get after it again,” he said. “It’s been a while but the transition has been smooth.”

Easley, New England’s first-round pick in 2014, was released by the Patriots in April after two injury-plagued seasons.

“Everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I guess I wasn’t a good fit there. I’m loving it here.”

gary.klein@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimesklein