Rams' Jared Verse and Braden Fiske look to run it back again

Los Angeles Times

a day ago

Jared Verse and Braden Fiske joined the Rams last season as something of a one-two punch.
The former Florida State teammates were drafted in the first and second rounds, respectively, and lived up to their billing as individuals and as a collective force.
Verse, an edge rusher, became the NFL defensive rookie of the year. Fiske, a defensive lineman, was a finalist for the award.
'I think we did good, but I think we became more focused on helping the team than trying to do our own little thing and having a good little duo going on,' Verse said, adding, 'So now we finally took another step — having another year together to figure out, 'Hey, this is how I work, this is how he works.'
'So, I feel like this year is going to be a good one for us to play together.'
As they prepare for their second seasons, the two young stars are part of a front that could rank as one of the NFL's most dynamic.
The unit includes tackle Kobie Turner, edge rusher Byron Young and several additions, including tackle Poona Ford and rookie edge rusher Josaiah Stewart and rookie tackle Ty Hamilton.
With organized team activities underway, Verse, 24, remains a boisterous presence on and off the field for a team regarded as a Super Bowl contender.
After recording 4 1/2 sacks and 18 quarterback hits last season, Verse said he took the advice of a former NFL player and spent part of the offseason reviewing video of every snap. He focused on the 'bad' plays and studied ways to improve.
'The biggest thing I realized was how many sacks — and not even just sacks but big plays — that I missed out on,' he said, adding, 'Realizing that this really is a game of inches — whether it's stopping the ball or actually just doing your job — there's a couple of things I could've done better.'
Not that defensive coordinator Chris Shula wants Verse to change much.
'We're not looking for any stats,' Shula said. 'Not looking for anything else — just want him to play hard and be his best self every single day.'
Fiske, 25, amassed a team-best 8 1/2 sacks and 10 quarterback hits last season while playing through a knee issue. He aggravated the injury in the NFC divisional-round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and then had offseason surgery.
Though he said he was 'feeling great,' trainers are limiting Fiske's reps during organized team activities.
'There's no need to rush,' Fiske said. 'The big goal in mind is training camp and, obviously, September when it's time to go.'
Fiske rehabilitated from upper body injuries during his college career, but the process of recovering from the knee injury forced him to slow down for the first time since prepping for his final season at Florida State.
'My entire career has been [centered on] just go, go, go, nonstop. No offseason. No time off,' Fiske said. 'So it's been probably good for me mentally and physically, of just like, 'Hey, it's all right to take a break and ease back into it.''
The rehab work and the structured workload has paid off, he said.
'I dealt with it all last season, so where I'm at now is awesome,' he said.
The coaching staff's expectations for Fiske are 'just like Verse,' Shula said.
'We just want him to be himself and to continue to elevate the strengths in his game and work on the weaknesses in his game,' Shula said. 'That's exactly what he's doing.'