Rams' Braden Fiske will face his moment of truth without familiar ally to lean on

When the Los Angeles Rams drafted Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske, they hoped to fast-track both his development and that of his first-round college teammate, Jared Verse, by playing them alongside each other. With two seasons of solid production from both players, the strategy seemed to pay off handsomely.

Then the Rams traded Verse to acquire Myles Garrett, and Fiske enters Year 3 without his longtime friend on the team.

It's time to go it alone. While Fiske's drop-off last season in sacks and other box-score stats could be viewed as regression, part of that decrease resulted from his repurposed role. The Rams called on Fiske to help stuff the run. He found himself sliding into multiple positions along the defensive front, chewing up blocks to free up his teammates.

Still, Fiske did not step forward as many hoped. Entering his third season, he must show signs of improvement. Here's why Fiske may be poised to do exactly that.

Braden Fiske is set up to succeed in 2026

Fiske is one of the Rams' young guns up front. Drafted in 2024, he never had the opportunity to learn from All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who retired the year before. While some suspect Donald will unretire and return to Los Angeles this season, Fiske already has an elite role model, Garrett, to take notes on.

In 2025, defensive coordinator Chris Shula moved Verse all over the line to create mismatches. That tactic meant Fiske moved around frequently as well. While Verse lined up against weaker blockers, Fiske got the short straw opposite some of the NFL's best. That is less likely to happen now.

In 2024, Fiske suffered a knee injury in the playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles. He appeared fully recovered last season, but his numbers could suggest otherwise. Still, he is back for 2026 and hopefully all the way healthy, and he has more than Myles Garrett's presence going for him.

Fiske is projected to start on a formidable defensive front that boats himself, Garrett, nose tackle Poona Ford, DT Kobie Turner, and edge rusher Byron Young. With offensive linemen likely to double one of Garrett, Young, Turner, and Ford, Fiske will face only one blocker on nearly every snap. That should put him in position to make plays, something he proved quite capable of as a rookie (8.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss).

Do or die for Fiske this season? That's overly dramatic. But he will make a fantastic case for a contract extension if he turns the corner. And with so much talent on the defensive front, he should be on track to do just that. If not, others like Tyler Davis, Ty Hamilton, or even rookie Tim Keenan III will be happy to step up.

As always, thanks for reading.

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