Terron Armstead raved about Jared Verse again but named one thing that 'wasn't that good'

USA Today

5 hours ago

Armstead has a ton of respect for Verse, and also some high expectations
Terron Armstead retired from the NFL this offseason after 12 years in the league, earning Pro Bowl honors five times. After calling it a career, he talked about which players made his decision to retire easier.
He immediately mentioned Jared Verse, who he only faced once in 2024 but the rookie left a lasting impression.
Armstead praised Verse once again during an interview on the 'Rich Eisen Show' on Tuesday, mentioning the Rams star when asked who the 'future of the league' is at pass rusher. Along with Verse, Armstead also picked Aidan Hutchinson.
Here's what he said about Verse and his superhuman strength – something Armstead hasn't seen before from a pass rusher.
'Jared Verse, I'm very loud about what I believe he will be able to do,' Armstead said. 'The boy is strong. It's different. Different level of strength. It is. I don't know exactly what it is, because he's not the biggest. I played James Harrison and Justin Smith. Very strong humans. Jared Verse has something different with his power.'
Before even going up against the rookie pass rusher, Armstead knew about his remarkable power just by watching film. He could see Verse running linemen over, so he was preparing for some ferocious bull rushes when the Rams and Dolphins squared off in Week 10 last season.
'I saw it on film,' Armstead said. 'We're preparing for the Rams – big game for us, too, because we were kind of going through a rough patch in the season, and the Rams were heating up as they made their playoff push – and I'm watching the film and he is running people over. Not just knocking people back, he is running them over on his way to the quarterback. So, the first series against the Rams, I'm like, I'm excited to see – I need to see what this power's about. The first series, he did a bull rush, we passed the ball, think we got a first down and I'm laughing because it was like, 'Yo, that's funny that he pushed me back like that.' It was funny. It was interesting to see, like, this is different. I've seen it on film, so the rest of the game, I'm trying to get on him quick, I don't want to let him get started. He has a pop that is just different. It's hard to explain. You'll see more of it this year.'
As for Verse's ceiling, Armstead sees a lot of room for growth. His bull rush is his go-to move, but if Verse can develop some counters and improve his hand usage, Armstead believes he can get even better.
There is one thing that 'wasn't that good' when Armstead faced Verse: his get-off. But even still, Armstead believes Verse will be a future Defensive Player of the Year.
'I feel that strongly,' he continued. 'I feel as he continues to craft his game, to get more off the bullrush, some hand swipes, things that look like a bullrush all the way up until the end and he avoids and goes around. His get-off wasn't that good, so it's still so many things for him to build into his game. I can see him being Defensive Player of the Year.'
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