Despite his breakout success last season that included winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse still believes he can add diversity to his pass rush game and improve even more for 2025. Verse is known for having a ferocious bull rush, something that former Miami Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead jokingly said contributed in his decision to retire. However, the second-year outside linebacker noticed something missing from his own game after rewatching film from his rookie season.
As Verse watched offensive linemen playing against him, he realized that his opponents began to know what to expect. Fortunately for Verse, his talent made it so even if they did know what was coming, they weren’t able to stop him either way. Still, it opened Verse’s eyes to a potential flaw in his play and gave him something to improve on in the summer.
“A lot of times I don’t use my speed enough, and that’s probably the thing that’s most dangerous, besides my strength,” said Verse. “At the end of the day, I’m faster than you. You’re not really gonna get too much kick step that’s gonna be able to stop me.”
Throughout camp this year, Verse said he only used 10-15 power moves out of hundreds of live reps so he could commit to mastering a new speed rush. He also began employing a variety of counters that he didn’t use enough in his rookie season.
“That’s what we’ve tried to hit on with him, trying some different stuff to continue to get his arsenal better,” said defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
It makes sense why Verse would want to add speed to his game when looking at the numbers. According to Next Gen Stats, Verse hit 21.6 and 21.48 miles per hour in last season’s divisional round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Those were the fifth and third-fastest speeds for a defensive lineman or linebacker in 2024, so while Verse may lack speed moves in his arsenal, he certainly doesn’t lack the speed needed to add them.
Verse ranked fourth in the regular season with 77 pressures according to Pro Football Focus. Still, he wasn’t satisfied with his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign, saying he left around 10 sacks on the field after finishing with 6.5 total including the postseason.
In the offseason, Verse began seeing defensive line guru Ed McGilvra two-to-three times a week. McGilvra was already working with Rams DL Kobie Turner, and has worked with the likes of Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald in the past. Despite working with some first ballot Hall-of-Famers, McGilvra still had some mighty praise for the Rams second-year pass rusher.
“I’ll be completely honest with you… Jared might be the strongest, most powerful dude I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes,” McGilvra said. “I don’t think it’s comparable. He’s really one of one. I mean, he’s almost got the power of a three technique, but he’s got the speed and get-off and size of a defensive end.”
Verse’s display of strength was so overwhelming that McGilvra actually had to tell Verse to lessen his initial impact with his hands.
“You don’t want to kill me, because then I’m not going to be able to help you anymore,” McGilvra said with a laugh. “So I had to tell Jared a couple of times, like, ‘Hey, relax man, relax.’”
Verse has added various new moves and developed some of his existing ones to help him come free off linemen after first contact. Verse also comes into his second season with more knowledge of offensive line tendencies, aiding his ability to choose the right counter at the right moment.
“I can tell what (opposing linemen are) about to do just by the angle of his foot or, ‘Oh he’s about to jump step me because his stance is a little bit wider than what it was before,’” Verse said on the Rich Eisen Show. “… Once you know what the person in front of you is going to do, you can react to it however you want.”
Expectations for Verse, and the Rams pass rush as a whole, are at an all time high heading into the season. While there may not be a singular focal superstar like Aaron Donald, LA feels like they have a young, highly impactful player at every single position along the defensive line. If Verse and Turner, accompanied by Braden Fiske and Byron Young, can add more moves to their games and improve on their already impressive 2024, they could make the NFL recognize a new Rams “Fearsome Foursome” in the very near future.
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