WOODLAND HILLS — Entering his first NFL offseason, the first of his life in which he didn’t have to deal with school or draft prep, Rams edge rusher Jared Verse got a text from a fellow Florida State alum, one who had enjoyed a long NFL career. And he offered Verse one piece of advice.
Study your old film. All of it.
“Watch more of the bad plays than the good,” Verse said, “and realize what I can work on. I did that, and I feel more prepared than I’ve ever been.”
Verse, still the Rams’ only first-round draft pick since 2016, had the rookie season the front office envisioned when it took him with the 19th overall pick last spring. He finished with 4½ total sacks but led all NFL players with 89 quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus, with a 19.7% win rate on his pass rush opportunities.
The raw numbers led to accolades, including a Pro Bowl nod and the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award. But when he watched his film from the past year, Verse noticed instead how many big plays he missed out on, and not just sacks.
“Dropping in coverage, I could have done this. Rushing the passer, I could have done that. Even in the run game a couple times, there’s a couple things where I’m a little too far inside, I’m a little too far outside and I could have made a big, impact play,” Verse explained Tuesday after the Rams wrapped up an OTA practice. “So realizing that this really is a game of inches where it’s like stopping the ball or actually just doing your job, there’s a couple things I could have done better.”
As Verse looks to take on more leadership responsibilities in this second season, it’s this level of self-scouting that will help elevate him.
Being vocal has never been an issue for the verbose Verse, whose eyes went wide when a reporter joked that he seemed quieter on the field this year. But having one of the defense’s best players take on that level of accountability can have a positive impact.
It was evident last year when Verse put the blame squarely on his own shoulders for a midseason loss to Philadelphia in which he struggled to do his part to keep Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley in check. His and his teammates’ willingness to look inward led to a late-season turnaround for the defense.
“We were talking about it this morning, we don’t want him to put any extra pressure on himself,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “Just be the best version of yourself. That’s all we’re challenging him to do is understanding his opps within the scheme of the defense, which we started to do in the middle of the season last year, and just be himself.”
For the confident Verse, that won’t be an issue.
“I don’t really put too much pressure,” Verse said. “If I’m who I am and I take the strides I need to take, I’m going to be the best version of me and I’m going to be able to help the team in any facet or way that they need.”
BRIEFLY
Receiver Davante Adams missed Tuesday’s practice with an excused absence, a team spokesperson said.