LOS ANGELES — Third-year edge rusher Byron Young stepped up first for one-on-ones against the offensive line. Despite only two NFL seasons under his belt, Young is considered an elder statesman among the Rams’ defensive linemen.
The ball was snapped, and Young spun so fast off guard Kevin Dotson that he was in the backfield before Dotson could turn his head.
Sack.
Next came Jared Verse, the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowl pick. A devastating swim move on tackle David Quessenberry left the veteran blocking air.
Sack.
Defensive tackle Poona Ford didn’t get the luxury of a one-on-one as he faced two blockers alone.
He split them in a heartbeat.
Sack.
One after another, the Rams’ defensive linemen just kept coming. A relentless herd of young stalwarts continually stampeding into the backfield during Tuesday’s training camp practice at Loyola Marymount University. Together, they form the heart of the Rams’ team in 2025.
“These guys (in the defensive line) are the real deal,” head coach Sean McVay said. “We know that’s going to be an important factor for us.”
Last year, Young, Verse and defensive tackle Kobie Turner were the leading forces upfront. They racked up three of the five highest snap counts on the defense. While they were effective, as evidenced by Verse’s award, they ranked in the bottom half of the league in total team sacks.
Part of that, at least internally, could be attributed to energy depletion by the time they got to obvious passing downs, not allowing the talented rushers to maximize their potential when the best opportunities to hunt the quarterback arrived.
And there is talent.
Young led all NFL rookie edge rushers in sacks (eight) in 2023, then logged 7½ last season.
Verse, as mentioned, was highly decorated in his first year, while Turner recorded eight sacks from the interior in 2024.
With growth elsewhere, they should have fresher legs when it’s time to hunt this season.
“We’re practically interchangeable,” Turner said. “It brings a lot of benefits. When you think about my journey last year, I started off taking every snap, and once it got to third downs, I didn’t have as much juice. But now we have guys who can hold it down.”
Look at the names alongside those three.
Braden Fiske was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for his five-sack November in 2024 and was a Defensive ROY finalist with Verse. Back for Year 2 at tackle alongside Turner, Fiske led the team in sacks last season with 8½.
Rookie Josaiah Stewart, a highly regarded third-round draft pick from Michigan, was part of a national championship team and a second-team All-Big Ten selection with 30 career sacks in college.
Second-year tackle Tyler Davis has drawn strong praise from the Rams’ brass with a strong training camp as well.
While the linemen didn’t produce the sack total they wanted last season, the group is rounding into dangerous form going into 2025.
“Last year, there was a lot of tiptoeing around,” Fiske said. “Trying to feel our way through ‘who is going to be this, who’s going to be that, who’s going to be the guy?’ Now we’ve molded into our identity and who we’re going to be.”
Of all the notable contributors mentioned thus far, only Ford has more than three years of experience, and the eighth-year pro is a new addition, signing as a free agent after spending 2024 with the Chargers.
The leadership duties fall to two of the more “experienced” players in the room, McVay mentioning Turner and Young as the tone-setters.
With that responsibility comes the expectation that the group will continue to raise its production.
“It keeps me going, to be able to lead this group,” Turner said. “I can’t be slacking. I can’t not be making plays. I can’t not be producing because this group is too talented. We have way too much fire.”
The talent across the group should create assorted matchup headaches for opposing offensive lines.
“Everybody wants to get the snaps,” Turner said. “Everybody wants to help contribute, and everybody’s willing to do whatever it takes to help this team succeed. And that’s going to show up on Sundays. That’s going to show up all throughout the season.”
One by one, they’re going to keep coming.
NOTES
Rams safety Kam Curl came up injured during team sessions.
“Kam, I think he got his ankle kind of stepped on,” McVay said. “I’ll have a little bit more information for you guys, but (Reggie Scott, the Rams’ vice president of sports medicine and performance) seemed to feel like there could be some positive things.”