LOS ANGELES — Yes, Jared Verse was the Defensive Rookie of the Year and a dominant edge rusher at times last season.
But then all-time great Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald challenged him to work out this offseason, something the second-year pro discovered he wasn’t quite prepared for.
“I went home, and I didn’t work out for like a day and a half because I couldn’t move my body,” Verse said. “The one thing he kept saying throughout the whole workout … was, ‘Think of the fourth quarter. Everyone’s good the first, second and third, but what about the fourth? That’s where you make your money.’
“He’s saying it loud and proud. He was talking like me. I was like, ‘Damn, OK, I guess there’s levels to this.’”
With Donald retired, Verse is now the one who jump-starts the Rams’ defense as a vocal leader and tone-setter. There’s no better example of Verse’s gift for trash talk than when he took on Philadelphia Eagles fans before L.A.’s playoff game in the City of Brotherly Love last season.
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“I hate Eagles fans,” Verse told The Los Angeles Times. “They’re so annoying. When I see that green and white, I hate it. I actually get upset. Like I actually genuinely get hot.”
Verse backed up his big talk, finishing with four pressures and two sacks in an NFC divisional round loss to the eventual Super Bowl champs.
Jared Verse had two sacks and three tackles for loss in the Rams’ 28-22 playoff loss to the Eagles last season. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Verse was also mic’d up for a Week 8 contest against the Minnesota Vikings, when he could be heard talking nonstop to Minnesota’s offensive line. Even Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson got caught up in Verse’s verbal onslaught.
“He’s an igniter,” fellow defensive lineman Braden Fiske told me. “Just the way he talks, he builds that confidence within our group. Just the energy he brings, it’s a game-changer for us. It gets us going during games, in practice and in the weight room. He just sets sparks, and you love to have him.”
Is it ever too much? Fiske doesn’t think so — and he should know, having also played with Verse at Florida State.
“He does a good job at aiming it toward the other team,” Fiske said. “I’m just proud of how he’s been able to adapt to this level. He’s done some good things. He knows how to take care of it.”
Defensive co-captain Quentin Lake says he likes the energy Verse brings with his smack talking — if he doesn’t cross that proverbial imaginary line.
“Obviously, there’s levels to it,” Lake told me. “We’re all teammates at the end of the day. But AD [Donald] actually mentioned it when he was here, and that’s controlled aggression. There has to be some type of tenacity, some type of edge that you play with, especially on the defensive side. But how can you control that and refine it to make it a strength?
“My controlled aggression isn’t going to be the same as Verse’s, isn’t going to be the same as Kobie Turner’s, isn’t going to be the same as Braden Fiske. Everybody isn’t going to have that same type of controlled aggression.”
Defensive tackle Poona Ford, a free-agent addition from the Chargers, says he gets an up-close view of Verse’s loquaciousness daily since the two have lockers next to each other.
“Man, first thing is he’s loud,” Ford said. “When I first got there, I’m like, dang that’s my locker mate. So, I’m thinking, like, damn, they put the loudest person in the locker room next to the quietest person in the locker room.
“But he for sure backs it up and that is what you want. You need guys like him on the team.”
While Verse was a Pro Bowler as a rookie, working out with Donald let him know there’s a long way to go before he reaches his ultimate goal of being one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL.
Selected No. 19 overall last season, Verse led all rookies in quarterback hits (18), pressures (77) and hurries (56). But he finished with just 4.5 sacks, so Rams outside linebackers coach Joe Coniglio said the two put together a plan on how he can bring the quarterback down more often this season.
“The critical thing for him was just really understanding those opportunities playing in this scheme and structure,” Coniglio told me. “But it’s also giving him the opportunity to let his football IQ and his skill set show.
“We don’t want to put him in a box where we’re forcing him to do certain things. But we also want to make sure he’s playing within the scheme and the structure, hunting the ops and utilizing all the abilities that he has. … He’s really worked at that this offseason, and it’s showing up on the field now.”
Verse was unblockable in joint practices against the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. But it’s still about getting the quarterback on the ground.
“It’s great to run ‘em over and you’re on X getting all the glory,” veteran defensive line coach Giff Smith told me. “But let’s get a little bit of that gravy, too. He’s worked really hard throughout the offseason, and I think it’s going to be special year for him.”
Verse said the message from Coniglio and Smith has been received.
“I’ve watched every game probably about three or four times each, just watching everything I’ve done wrong and everything I’ve done right,” Verse said. “And you realize how many bad plays you had with all the accolades and all that stuff. You realize how much [more] you can grow. Don’t let your head get too high because now, I’m thinking of how much better I can get.”
Now that would really be something to talk about.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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