Agent 0 already raving about former Seminoles teammate Jared Verse
By Bret Stuter
Agent 0 loves teammate Jared Verse's performance already
The Rams pass rush was not bad last season. It simply was not at a level that fans have become accustomed to. That is despite the fact that the team boasted the two top rookies at generating quarterback sacks in 2023: Nose tackle Kobie Turner (9.0 quarterback sacks) and outside linebacker Byron Young (8.0 quarterback sacks) burst into the NFL scene with outstanding production.
And based on the learning curve of rookies who play on the defensive front, their second seasons in the NFL should reach even better heights in terms of getting after the quarterback. That is critical, because this defense must find some way to compensate for the retirement of legendary defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and his proficiency to dominate at the line of scrimmage and terrorize opposing quarterbacks.
But the defense will not rely exclusively on The Conductor and Agent 0. Rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse has been an outstanding performer in this defense already, a fact that has been noticed by Byron Young.
He already touts Jared Verse as ahead of Young at this time one year ago. That's a huge compliment for his teammate, expressing that level of respect for a young addition to this team. If that fast-tracked development continues, how effective will rookie OLB Jared Verse perform in 2024? Even if Verse can replicate the same level of production as Byron Young from 2023, the Rams will be more than ecstatic. Getting eight quarterback sacks from a rookie will prove to be tremendously helpful, not just from an individual performance standpoint, but from the effectiveness of the team overall.
Having said that, this team has more firepower on defense than you may realize.