ClutchPoints
The Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse, and the reigning 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, left Thursday’s training camp practice early after a knee-to-knee collision with teammate Braden Fiske, per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. The incident occurred during drills in Woodland Hills and immediately raised injury concerns for the Rams’ defensive front.
Verse, who led all NFL defenders with 89 total pressures last season according to Pro Football Focus, remained down on the turf on his hands and knees for a long moment before being helped off the field by the training staff. He did not return to practice.
Head coach Sean McVay commented after practice, saying, “We’ll hope that he ends up being OK off of that.”
The severity of the injury was initially unclear. Verse caused some confusion with a tweet that hinted the situation might be serious, but later deleted it and clarified his status by telling fans, “Nah I’m playing with y’all, I’m fine.”
That said, the team has yet to confirm his participation in Saturday’s preseason home opener against the Dallas Cowboys, prioritizing his full fitness for the September 7 regular season opener against the Houston Texans.
As a rookie in 2024, Verse posted 66 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries across 17 games, 16 of them starts. He added two sacks in the postseason and returned a fumble 57 yards for a touchdown.
Verse forms a formidable defensive unit with fellow second-year players Byron Young, Kobie Turner, and Braden Fiske. Fiske, the player involved in Thursday’s collision, also had a standout rookie campaign, leading the team with 8.5 sacks, along with 44 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 17 starts.
The Rams are entering the 2025 season after a 10-7 finish, an NFC West title, and a playoff run that included a Wild Card win over the Minnesota Vikings before falling to the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round. The team counts on Verse, a foundational player and Defensive Player of the Year candidate, to drive its postseason push.
The Rams will continue to monitor Verse’s condition closely in the coming days.
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