Rams OLB Jared Verse explains why he could've had around 10 more sacks last season
Jared Verse turned in a fantastic rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams, going on to win Defensive Rookie of the Year and quickly becoming one of the game's best young players. He won that coveted award despite only recording 4.5 sacks, which is a surprisingly low total for a player who had the level of impact that he did.
In Verse's mind, he should've had several more sacks in his rookie year. Like, three times as many as he finished with.
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During an interview with Adam Schefter, Verse explained why he feels he left 'around 10 sacks on the field' last season.
'Yeah, I was doing a lot of things but I probably left around 10 sacks on the field just from, 'Hey, a little too inside. A little too this, a little too that. Not taking the extra step.' And looking at that, I'm like, 'Damn, that's not happening no more so the things I can do now is a whole different conversation,'' he said.
When asked how many sacks he'll have in Year 2, Verse didn't want to put a number on it, but he knows it'll be more than last season.
'All I know is it's going to be up because I'm not giving them up like I was last year. I learned to take that little extra step, keep my feet underneath me and I'm taking everything I got this year,' he said.
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Verse struggled mightily with his tackling early last season. He missed 11 tackles in his first four games alone, many of which should've been sacks on players such as Kyler Murray, Brock Purdy and Caleb Williams. He finished the year with 21 missed tackles (including the postseason), so he only missed 10 tackles in his final 15 games – a much better rate than what he started the season with.
It was clear he was getting more comfortable as the year went on, dialing back the aggressiveness and speed when he got near the quarterback to stay in better control. That's something he'll be better about in his second season, which should lead to more sacks.
'It's being more intentional in it. Like, my first year, I was kind of just going out there, wildin', doing my little thing,' he said. 'Now I realize how important every step is. Everything has to be intentional. You do everything for a reason. Like, in the middle of the night, you're not just going to wake up, walk to your kitchen for no reason and go to bed. You're going to wake up, go grab a glass of water. You've got to be intentional with everything you do.'
Verse's ceiling is as high as any pass rusher's in the NFL. He has all the tools needed to become one of the best defenders in the league, including an eye-popping amount of power on the edge.
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If he can play with better discipline and control this season, he'll be squarely in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.
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This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' Jared Verse feels he could've had 10 more sacks last season
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