Heading into the 2025 NFL season, many were looking forward to what Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse could do in year two. That was especially the case after how Verse finished the season in the playoffs and went on to win the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.
From Weeks 13 until the divisional round of the playoffs, no player had more pressures than Verse. He also ranked third in the NFL in win rate via PFF. Heading into year two, it was expected that Verse would take that next step and
enter the conversation as one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL.
However, against two offensive lines that came into the game with issues at tackle, Verse has zero sacks. Because of that, the narrative around Verse to start year two is that he’s having a disappointing start to the season and experiencing a sophomore slump.
With that said, it couldn’t be further from the truth. That’s not to say that sacks aren’t important, but it’s also critical to understand the effect that Verse has often goes beyond what shows up on the stat sheet.
Through two weeks, Verse ranks 12th in pass-rush win-rate via ESPN analytics and eighth in win percentage via PFF. ESPN also has Verse ranked second in run-stop win-rate at 56 percent. It’s also worth noting the impact that Verse is having on the players around him. Byron Young is having the best start to his career. Not only has Young taken a step forward in year three, but Verse is also giving him more opportunities because offenses have to account for him more. Teams are consistently chipping Verse with a running back or tight end or passing him off inside into a double team.
For much of Aaron Donald’s career, there was a phenomenon known as the “Aaron Donald effect”. Essentially, pass rushers who played with Donald would end up having some of the best stats of their careers. That was the case with Dante Fowler Jr. and Leonard Floyd. This isn’t to say that Verse is having the same impact as Donald or on that same level. Still, because Verse is as good as he is, he does create opportunities for others or is doing things off the ball to create for others around him.
It’s also important to remember that it is only Week 2. Sticking with Aaron Donald, the Rams defensive tackle famously started slow. In Aaron Donald’s 20.5 sack season in 2018, he didn’t record his first sack until Week 4. Again, that doesn’t mean that Verse is going to go on to have a 20.5 sack season this year. With that said, it’s also a reason not to be concerned about Verse just yet.
Throughout Donald’s career, he consistently did better in Weeks 5-8 than Weeks 1-4. From 2015-2023, Donald averaged 2.11 sacks in Weeks 1-4. Conversely, in the next four games, he averaged 3.9. As mentioned, this isn’t to say that this is going to be the case with Verse. It’s only worth mentioning because we’re two weeks into the NFL season and sacks can be a volatile, luck-based stat. Based on some of the advanced analytics, Verse is still having an impact and producing from a pass-rush standpoint.
Verse only had 4.5 sacks as a rookie and it would be nice to see him improve on that number. In all likelihood, Verse will improve on that even if he doesn’t have a sack through two weeks. It’s also important to remember that this is still a player only in year two and he is constantly working on improving his game. That’s been the case against the run in the first two weeks and he’s also working on adding more variety to his arsenal of pass-rush moves. It may simply take time to see the results on the field.
The NFL season is only two weeks old and it’s way too early to start raising concerns about Jared Verse. While the sack totals may not be there yet, the advanced analytics and the attention he’s commanding point to a player who is still making a meaningful impact.
