Los Angeles Rams star Jared Verse is quickly developing a reputation as one of the most feared edge rushers in the league.
Even though he only had 4.5 sacks during his rookie season, he still made a big enough impact to be named Defense Rookie of the Year due to his pressure rate and overall disruption in the backfield. Verse has some lofty goals to be even better in 2025, and there’s no doubt that he will be.
Players around the league took note of what Verse is capable of during his rookie season. In a recent interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio, former Miami Dolphins tackle Terron Armstead, who recently retired, named Verse as the one player he is most looking forward to not having to block anymore:
“I’m gonna say No. 1, he was a rookie from the Rams. That young boy Jared Verse? I’m cool. I’m good. I never got to see that man again. I’m OK with never seeing that young man again in my life. Bull rush is different. Dog, it’s different. You know that it’s coming, you brace yourself. He’s different. Jared Verse is different. He will be a Defensive Player of the Year one of these days. Mark my words.”
These comments from Armstead make sense as Verse had one of his best games against the Dolphins last season when he recorded four tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. He also forced a fumble and recovered it himself.
Regardless, that is extremely high praise from Armstead, who clearly thinks Verse has a ton of potential calling him a future Defensive Player of the Year.
Rams’ Jared Verse feels he left sacks on the table
If Jared Verse is gonna win NFL Defensive Player of the Year one day then he will need more sacks than the 4.5 he had in his rookie season. When looking back on the year though, Verse feels he left around 10 sacks on the table and plans to be better moving forward.
“Yeah, I was doing a lot of things but I probably left around 10 sacks on the field just from, ‘Hey, a little too inside. A little too this, a little too that. Not taking the extra step.’ And looking at that, I’m like, ‘Damn, that’s not happening no more so the things I can do now is a whole different conversation.’ All I know is it’s going to be up because I’m not giving them up like I was last year. I learned to take that little extra step, keep my feet underneath me and I’m taking everything I got this year.”
