Turf Show Times
CBS Sports cited Rams duo Jared Verse, Puka Nacua among the best and most affordable talent in the NFL
Building a contending team and staying within budget is a significant challenge in the salary cap era. Fortunately for the Los Angeles Rams, its front office has managed to stockpile young talent while keeping them on their rookie deals.
CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin constructed an All-Bargain Team from Pete Prisco’s 2025 ranking of the NFL’s top 100 players. All-Pro Puka Nacua was featured alongside fellow wideouts Justin Jefferson and Brian Thomas Jr. on the team:
“Nacua was a Day 3 flyer by the Rams in the 2023 draft, arriving in the fifth round. Accordingly, his rookie deal is ridiculously affordable considering the workload he’s earned in Los Angeles. Injuries limited the rugged BYU product to 11 games in Year 2, but he’s been an absolute target machine for Matthew Stafford when on the field, racking up 184 catches and nearly 2,500 yards in his first two NFL seasons.”
Nacua has been targeted 266 times through 28 regular season games, averaging 88.4 yards per game. It’s unlikely his production lessens entering his third NFL campaign, even with the addition of Davante Adams this offseason. The BYU product is a clear security blanket for Matthew Stafford, more so with Cooper Kupp no longer in town.
Second-year pass rusher Jared Verse also made the All-Bargain Team, as he’s expected to have quite the encore to his Defensive Rookie of the Year season:
“The Florida State product’s 2024 sack total wasn’t gaudy (4.5), but his presence was always felt on the Rams’ youthful front, hence his NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. That already makes him a steal on a rookie deal, and odds are, with another offseason in the books, suiting up next to fellow youngsters Braden Fiske, Byron Young and Kobie Turner, Verse will easily increase his own sack total in Year 2.”
L.A. is set up nicely for the foreseeable future, especially if more of its youngsters break out in 2025.
