After a rookie season that ended with the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year trophy back at his home, Rams outside linebacker Jared Verse graduated to a “podium guy” this fall, with a weekly, post-practice press conference. And with his Week 1 visit to the lectern, Verse exuded his unique combination of brash showman and zen worker bee.
“I don’t set goals for myself because whatever happens, happens,” Verse said when asked how he wanted to follow up his rookie campaign. “I focus on just being the best me one play, then the next play. That’s just how it goes.”
But, he added honestly, “Hopefully I beat last year’s numbers.”
For all the different ways that Verse earned his reputation across the NFL last season, closing the deal was not one of them. He was fourth among all edge rushers with 77 quarterback pressures, leading his rookie class by 21. But he only converted those into 4½ actual sacks, coming in fourth place in the five-man competition between himself and teammates Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Michael Hoecht.
So as the Rams look to build upon the success they found in defensive coordinator Chris Shula’s first year calling plays, the question becomes how much Verse and the rest of the pass rush can elevate the rest of the defense.
Instead of strengthening some perceived weaknesses in the second and third levels of the defense, the Rams doubled down on their front five. Their highest-paid defensive free agent was tackle Poona Ford. Their first defensive draft pick was outside linebacker Josaiah Stewart.
But Verse is where opposing offenses will center their weekly game plan, starting this weekend with the Houston Texans. And his greatest chance for growth in his second season is the same that buoyed the pass rush as 2024 progressed as each member of the front learned how to work together and identify their own opportunities.
“He’s an elite player and we don’t want to take that elite trait away from him, but also understanding when he can take his opps and when he can’t,” Shula said. “I think he truly understands what the other 10 guys around him and especially those front guys do and his job in the defense. … He’s also playing hard every single snap, and that’s something that we challenged him to do throughout training camp.”
Here’s a look at the Rams’ defense as a whole ahead of Sunday’s season opener:
Defensive line
Starters: Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford
Backups: Tyler Davis, Desjuan Johnson, Larrell Murchison, Ty Hamilton
Turner has called the Rams’ top four at this position – himself, Fiske, Ford and Davis – as interchangeable, and the Rams will mix and match to get pairings they like based on the matchups and opportunities.
But the group can rely on more than just those four. Murchison is a reliable vet, Johnson can line up inside or out to give the Rams a greater variety of fronts to present to opponents and Hamilton is a rookie who the Rams expect to develop into a real contributor in time.
Outside linebacker
Starters: Jared Verse, Byron Young
Backups: Josaiah Stewart, Nick Hampton
While Verse gets most of the attention in this group, there’s a belief within the Rams that Young could be poised for a big year in his third season. With Michael Hoecht gone, there will be more opportunities on the outside for Young, who spent much of the offseason doing Pilates training that has increased his flexibility and bend in pass rush situations.
The Rams are also bullish on the rookie Stewart, who provides a change of pace with his speed moves at backer compared to the powerful duo of Verse and Young.
Inside linebackers
Starters: Nate Landman, Omar Speights
Backups: Troy Reeder, Shaun Dolac
The Rams hope the combination of Landman and Speights, as well as Ford up front, will help fix the issues against the run this defense displayed last season. Speights’ insertion into the lineup midway through last season already helped the group make strides, but Landman doubles down on that. He was a big presence early in training camp before injuring his calf, filling holes in the running game and getting the defense organized pre-snap.
Where this group is limited, however, is in pass coverage, and on clear passing downs it’s likely you’ll see both linebackers come off the field while a safety fills in at dime backer.
Cornerbacks
Starters: Ahkello Witherspoon, Darious Williams
Backups: Cobie Durant, Emmanuel Forbes, Josh Wallace
While Witherspoon and Williams figure as the outside corners with Durant as primary star corner, you could see the Rams experiment early on with getting Forbes involved. His length and ball skills impressed during OTAs, though his training camp was derailed by a hamstring injury. It would make sense to get Forbes out on the field in certain packages just to see what the former first-round pick can offer, as he has a higher ceiling than many of the corners on the roster.
Safeties
Starters: Quentin Lake, Kam Curl
Backups: Kamren Kinchens, Jaylen McCollough
All four of these safeties will see a lot of the field, and the Rams will find creative ways to deploy each. Lake will drop down to star corner when needed, while McCollough is the likely candidate to play the aforementioned dime linebacker role on passing downs. So it’s possible you’ll see all four on the field together in certain circumstances and matchups.