Rams News: Jared Verse Believes He Can Be Better Despite Winning Prestigious Award

Verse won his first NFL award earlier this week.

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Jared Verse was named the Defensive Rookie of the Month for September earlier this week. In four games against the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Chicago Bears to start the season, Verse recorded 19 total tackles, one sack, five tackles for loss, and one forced fumble. Verse nearly had two more sacks against the Bears, but they were called back because of a penalty.

Verse has pressured the quarterback as well as almost any defender in the NFL, not just rookies. He has a 23.3 pressure percentage, only trailing Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

OLB Jared Verse (@JaredVerse1) has the second-highest pressure percentage (23.3%) across the NFL (min. 70 pass rush snaps). He only trails Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson. Verse also leads the 2024 draft class with DE Braden Fiske in second with a 14.8% pressure percentage. pic.twitter.com/OTP0MF0gE0

— Los Angeles Rams PR (@TheLARamsPR) October 3, 2024

Verse and Rams rookie defensive tackle Braden Fiske are tied for the lead in quarterback hurries with 12. Verse and Fiske are tied for the league lead among rookies in this statistic.

The Rams are the only team in the NFL to have three players rank inside the top-nine in hurries across the NFL. DE Kobie Turner (@TurnerKobie) ranks fourth with 17 while OLB Jared Verse (@JaredVerse1) and DE Braden Fiske are tied for ninth with 12.

Verse and Fiske are tied for… pic.twitter.com/JDPIpmC93N

— Los Angeles Rams PR (@TheLARamsPR) October 3, 2024

Despite a strong start when it comes it rushing the passer, Verse is primarily focused on the areas he can improve upon in his game — particularly missed tackles.

“It’s more inspiring than anything, because I did not think I had a great month last month” Verse said, via Adam Grosbard of the OC Register. “I missed a lot of plays, I missed a lot of tackles. I missed a lot of opportunities to make my team better, to improve us as a whole. So now thinking about it, it’s like once all those plays start getting made and everything like that, OK, it’s going to be a lot more than that.”

Pro Football Focus has tracked Verse as having missed 11 tackles through the first four games of the season. Verse noted at Friday's media availability that he transitioned from defensive end to outside linebacker in the NFL, has been working on his technique and simply wants to be "a better version" of himself on the field.

The Rams drafted Verse with the No. 19 overall pick out of Florida State in April. Verse spent two years at Florida State and three years at Albany before coming up to the NFL. He recorded at least nine sacks in each of his last three seasons of college football.

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