Who will lead the LA Rams defense in quarterback sacks in 2024?

Ever since future Hall of Famer defensive Aaron Donald retired from the NFL, many LA Rams fans have wondered how the defensive front will look this upcoming season. Not one player will replace Donald and his productivity. Rather, it will be done by committee, with many young players trying to fill that void.

Rookie NT Kobie Turner was a breakout rookie last season, benefiting from playing next to a guy like Aaron Donald. He totaled 9.0 sacks, and many thought he should have been the defensive rookie of the year. Rookie OLB Byron Young also had a great year, racking up 8.0 QB sacks. The Rams addressed the defensive line by drafting OLB Jared Verse and DT Braden Fiske, both out of Florida State. All this young talent will generate a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks but who we be the leader in sacks by the end of the year?

Jared Verse

While Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and Braden Fiske will have their fair share of sacks this season, I believe Verse will be the sack king for this team. Verse was a high-draft prospect coming out of Florida State. He had nine sacks in each of the last two years for the Seminoles and 12.5 tackles for loss in 2023.

Verse has been a guy who created carnage in the backfield throughout college and played with other talent, such as Turner and Young; it will be destined to continue. Defenses will have to strategize against who they want to focus on, and at first, that will probably be Kobie Turner because of what he did last year for the Rams, leading to opportunities for the rookies.

There is no question that this will be the most interesting season as far as defense is concerned. With no Aaron Donald and a new defensive coordinator in Chris Shula, the defense will determine how far this team can go in 2024. The offense will score their points, but the defense has many questions that will be answered for good or worse. Guys like Jared Verse will lead the defense, and I expect him to have a productive rookie season.