Byron Young has been one of the standout defenders for the Rams thus far with his league-leading five sacks in four games, but Jared Verse is not to be forgotten. He’s still Los Angeles’ best pass rusher and he’s starting to heat up.
In back-to-back games, Verse has had a strip-sack, giving him two sacks on the year. He’s also landed six hits on the quarterback and recorded 18 pressures, putting him on pace for a similarly productive season to the one he enjoyed last year.
Even though he “only” has two sacks, Verse remains one of the best edge rushers in football. According to Pro Football Focus’ pass-rush win rate metric, Verse ranks fifth among all edge rushers with a win rate of 26.1%. The only players ahead of him are Myles Garrett, Wil Anderson Jr., Micah Parsons and Danielle Hunter.
That puts Verse in elite company, slightly ahead of Aidan Hutchinson and Nik Bonitto – two other outstanding pass rushers.
Verse’s 18 pressures this season rank 13th among edge rushers, according to PFF, and his pass-rush grade of 91.5 is fifth. Where he’s improved significantly is with his tackling, missing just one tackle through four games this year.
Last season, he had missed 11 tackles in his first four games, which caused him to leave sacks and tackles for a loss on the field, as he noted this offseason. As a well-rounded edge defender, Verse has been better in Year 2 than he was as a rookie.
That’s scary for any offensive lineman trying to block him. Just ask poor Colts center Tanor Bortolini.
Verse may not have gotten off to a scorching hot start in Weeks 1 and 2 but he’s been dominant the last two games.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Key metric shows Jared Verse has been one of the NFL’s best pass rushers again in 2025
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
