Here's why rookie Jared Verse can lead 2nd wave of Rams D dominance

The Conductor meets the Verse-tuoso

The defense will be eager to step up in 2024. After all, everyone recognizes the fact that Aaron Donald is no longer leading the point of attack this season, both the Rams roster and every opponent that the team faces. That vacuum of chaos won't last long, because football hates a vacuum.

The most likely player that opponents will focus on this season is former nose tackle-turned defensive tackle Kobie Turner, a.k.a. The Conductor. It was Turner who led the entire team with 9.0 quarterback sacks last season, despite playing on the interior defensive front. Not only did The Conductor lead the team in quarterback sacks, but he led the entire 2023 rookie class in that statistic as well.

The running up rookie in quarterback sacks? His teammate, OLB Byron Young.

Some have attempted to diminish Turner's outstanding rookie season by claiming that Aaron Donald took on the brunt of the opposing team's double teams. But facts point to Kobie Turner as the player on the Rams' defensive front who was double-teamed most often. Yes, even more frequently than Donald himself.

But in the absence of Donald in 2024, how will offensive lines handle the defense? Will teams simply start sending two or three blockers to corral and contain Kobie Turner this season? Or will the Rams unveil a new pass rush powerhouse to force blockers to divide and try to thwart two or more passionate pass rushers this season.

Look for Jared Verse, the Verse-tuoso to Kobie Turner's Conductor, to create a lot of problems for offensive coordinators, linemen, and quarterbacks this season. And here's why: