NFL player Jared Verse did something extreme. Why he's a young star
Verse desires to be the next Rams star defensive player.
Last year Verse became the first Rams player to win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award since Donald in 2014 and the third player overall in franchise history. Shortly after winning the award, Verse told the media he's not satisfied.
"I think it's a small step towards (becoming) one of the best players ever," Verse said. "But there's a lot of people that have won this award that after they win it, they get satisfied. That's the main thing, you can't get satisfied. This is just a small step to a big goal."
Verse led all rookies in QB hits (18) and pressures (77) last season. He's a confident and more comfortable player going into Year 2 as the Rams conduct training camp.
"He's got a relentless energy. I think he's understanding how to be able to use that to his advantage. He's continuing to mature. We used to hear Aaron Donald talk about controlled aggression and how consistent he can be," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "He has high standards for himself. He is getting better but he's also very coachable...I love the guy's approach. I love his energy."
The Kansas City Chiefs are still AFC West favorites. But two things could sink them
On paper, the Rams appear to be improved from the team that pushed the eventual Super Bowl 59 champion Philadelphia Eagles to the brink during the divisional round of the 2024 playoffs. The Rams replaced Cooper Kupp with Davante Adams, drafted tight end Terrance Ferguson in the second round and added defensive tackle Poona Ford.
The Rams offense is generating a lot of buzz with Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Adams, but the team's defense could be a lot better, especially upfront with a more experienced Verse and Braden Fiske.
"For one, we're young. And two, we're relentless. We get after it. I think we're just hungry. We got a lot of guys that are hungry to take that next step in their career and just get after it. As a whole, as a team and as a defense, we just appreciate being able to go out there together because these things don't come often when you have a group like we have," Fiske said this week. "I'm just excited to get after it with these guys. We got a really, really solid group."
The defending NFC West champion Rams are entering this season as the division favorite. The Rams have only won the NFC West in back-to-back years once under McVay (2017-2018).
Los Angeles had the NFL's 26th ranked defense a year ago. An improved defense could be the key ingredient to another division crown. They have an emerging defensive star who's not complacent and hungry for more. And thanks to Donald, Verse has a new workout regime as he prepares to lead the defense into the regular season.
"That workout was psychotic. I'm never doing that again. He did change my workout routine. Now my workouts don't hit anymore. So, I had to go a little harder," Verse said. "It was insane to see that's the level it takes to be in the discussions of best defensive player ever or best player ever. So that's the level I have to reach on a consecutive basis. That's what I'm striving for now."
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Travis Kelce parties with rival NFL quarterback in new picture from his offseason
They are about to resume their NFL rivalry but away from the field, Travis Kelce and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield have a budding friendship. Kansas City Chiefs star Kelce recently competed in the American Century Championship in Tahoe, California alongside his older brother Jason. But they weren't the only big names representing the NFL with Bucs quarterback Mayfield also competing alongside the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen and George Kittle. The Kelce brothers certainly appear to be fond of Mayfield, however. They were both tagged in a picture alongside Mayfield from the tournament on social media on Saturday, appearing to show them on a boat with Kelce seemingly holding a beer. Shortly after the competition, which ran July 11-13, the brothers welcomed Mayfield onto their New Heights podcast in one of the final episodes before a hiatus ahead of the 2025 season. The brothers always stop recorded their popular show at this time of year, once Travis enters training camp for the Chiefs to prepare for the new campaign. Kelce and Mayfield's Buccaneers are not scheduled to cross paths this time around on the 2025 NFL regular season schedule. The Chiefs begin the season on September 5 against divisional rival Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Two days later, the Bucs lift the curtain against the Falcons, making the short journey from Tampa to Atlanta. Mayfield's preparations for that game took a hit this week. The 30-year-old sustained a hand contusion on Thursday but his head coach Todd Bowles insisted it was nothing to majorly concern Bucs fans. 'He's got a sore hand,' Bowles said Friday. 'We gave him the day off. He's day-to-day. We're not worried about him.' Last season, Mayfield's men were eliminated in the Wild Card round at the hands of the Washington Commanders and Jayden Daniels by a narrow 23-20 score. The Chiefs made it all the way to the Super Bowl, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 40-22. Kelce nearly retired after that game but the three-time Super Bowl winner eventually decided that he didn't want to end his career on such a low point.
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Chiefs star breaks silence on impending jail sentence after causing crash on Dallas highway
Kansas City Chiefs star Rashee Rice insists he's 'completely changed' since his hit-and-run crash on a Dallas highway that was captured in a viral video last year. Rice was estimated to be speeding at 119mph before the collision, which resulted in several injuries for other motorists and passengers back in 2024. The wide receiver has since been sentenced to five years' probation and 30 days of jail time - which can be served at any time over the next five years. As he awaits a verdict from the league on his punishment, Rice has been at the Chiefs training camp and, on Saturday, took time to speak to reporters about the 2024 crash. He explained: 'I´ve completely changed. You have to learn from things like that. I've learned and taken advantage of being able to learn from something like that.' In a related lawsuit, Rice has agreed to pay $1million to a plaintiff who sued him over the 2024 crash, according to court documents obtained by Daily Mail. Rice is also being forced to pay $75,000 in pre-judgement interest and $12,000 in plaintiff attorney fees. The Chiefs are bracing for Rice to serve an NFL suspension. League spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement recently that the case 'remains under review.' 'My legal team is handling all that,' Rice said. 'All I can focus on is what I can control right now and that's me doing what I do.' Despite his looming punishment, Rice is looking to make a comeback following a ligament injury suffered in Week 4 - after colliding with Patrick Mahomes - which ended his entire 2024 season. The wide receiver underwent surgery to resolve the issue and has since been back in action during summer workouts. He continued: 'I feel 100%. I'm excited to be back out here with the guys. Just kind of basically where I left off at. 'The only thing is get back on the field and continue to have fun doing what I do.' Depending on the severity of his punishment from the NFL, Rice could be waiting a while longer to return to the field with his teammates. In a statement released by his attorney, Royce West, Rice said: 'Last March, I was involved in a high-speed accident in Dallas. 'There have been a lot of sleepless nights thinking about the damages that my actions caused, and I will continue working within my means to make sure that everyone impacted will be made whole. 'I urge everyone to mind the speed limit, drive safe and drive smart. Last and certainly not least, I am profoundly sorry for the physical damages to person and property. I fully apologize for the harm I caused to innocent drivers and their families.' Rice was renting the Lamborghini sport utility vehicle authorities said was one of two speeding sports cars that caused a chain-reaction crash on a Dallas highway in May of 2024. The occupants of the Lamborghini and the other speeding vehicle — a Corvette — left without checking on the drivers and passengers in the other four cars involved in the collision. A spokesman for the rental company, The Classic Lifestyle, said the Lamborghini rents for about $1,750 a day and is worth about $250,000. Police said the Corvette and Lamborghini were speeding in the far-left lane of North Central Expressway when they lost control. The Lamborghini went onto the shoulder and hit the center median wall, causing a chain-reaction collision. Four people in the other vehicles were treated for minor injuries. The wide receiver was spotted at Chiefs training camp this week alongside Travis Kelce After his client was seen fleeing the scene of the accident, West said at the time that Rice would 'take all necessary steps to address this situation responsibly.' Rice, a member of the Super Bowl LVIII-winning Chiefs team, is from the Dallas area. He played for Southern Methodist University and grew up in the Fort Worth suburb of North Richland Hills. The 25-year-old has $3.5 million in career earnings and is slated to make $1.3 million in 2025. However, that salary will likely suffer if he misses any games due to suspension. The Chiefs had been thin at receiver and thus stood by Rice in 2024, after an injury to Marquise Brown during the first game of pre-season. Already thin at receiver, the Chiefs stood by Rice in 2024 in spite of the arrest. Ultimately Rice's season was ended in Week 4 when he tore his ACL by colliding with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Rice is expected to be ready for training camp when it opens on July 21 at Missouri Western State University. He has not addressed the ruling publicly, but did post a photo of himself on Instagram with the caption: 'Gods (sic) plan.'
Rhyl Journal
2 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
Louis Rees-Zammit has had ‘unbelievable' interest from rugby union teams
Rees-Zammit, 24, spent 18 months in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, but did not feature for either franchise in a regular-season game. The former Gloucester wing, who made 32 appearances for Wales and toured with the British & Irish Lions in 2021, said he hopes to rekindle his international career. Rees-Zammit told Sky Sports News: 'I can't name teams, but I've had a load of interest, which is unbelievable. I'm very grateful for that. 'The season starts pretty soon. So it's about finding the right team for me in terms of location, in terms of how quick I've got to get into camp, and because the season's right around the corner, so all of these things that are going to happen, are going to happen pretty sharpish. 'Me and my brother are going through negotiations and seeing teams interested, which is amazing. We should find out in the next week or so.' Rees-Zammit quit rugby union in January 2024 in order to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL via its International Player Pathway Program. He signed an active roster deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2025 season after being part of their practice squad for the previous campaign and travelled to London for the games against the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots in October. Following his decision to return to the 15-man game, Rees-Zammit has targeted a return for Wales, who he helped to their last Six Nations triumph in 2021. He added: 'Playing for my country is the pinnacle and it's one that I absolutely love doing. 'I managed to play 32 times for my country in three, four years. I need to find a team. Once we find a team, get into good form and hopefully come Autumn Internationals, see where selection is. 'It's something that I'm really looking forward to and I really want to play for my country again.' Rees-Zammit's ambition will come as a welcome boost to recently-appointed Wales head coach Steve Tandy, who takes over a side that only ended an 18-match losing streak that lasted almost two years with a hard-fought win over Japan last month.
