If the Los Angeles Rams are going to make good on their Super Bowl expectations this season, one player that can take a step forward to help his team is Braden Fiske.
LA moved into the early portion of the second round to select Fiske in 2024. They sent a 2025 second round selection to the Carolina Panthers, which became Nic Scourton after Carolina did some draft maneuvering themselves.
In year one Fiske took the NFL by storm and sacked opposing quarterbacks 11 times. His sack production in year two
dropped to five. The Rams need Fiske to perform closer to how he did as a rookie in order for this defense to be as stifling as its potential.
Dispelling Fiske’s sophomore slump… to an extent
I wrote this post in October explaining why the analytical profile of Fiske’s second season was more optimistic than he showed in the box score on a weekly basis. This mostly held up for the remainder of the year.
- Fiske saw the most double teams on LA’s defensive line through October
- Injuries are limiting his availability
- His pass rush metrics were consistent to his rookie year with less sacks
While sacks are the most often used statistic in order to gauge pass rush productivity, they are fickle and influenced by factors outside of simply beating the blocker in front of you. Jared Verse winning the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2024 shows how pressures are now more valued in the modern league.
Here’s what we know:
Fiske played less snaps in his second season: 673 to 700.
The snap decrease mostly came in the run game: 213 to 232
With relatively the same number of opportunities to rush the passer, Fiske recorded nine fewer pressures (50 to 59) and his sack production halved. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Fiske’s pass rushing grade dropped to 64.0 from 68.9.
His grades in the other facets largely remained the same:
- Run defense: 44.4 from 38.9
- Tackling: 27.7 from 29.2
We know Fiske is not a plus run defender, which is why the Rams signed Poona Ford last offseason and played him over Fiske on run downs. Fiske’s job is to get after the quarterback, and he must do a better job moving forward.
Fiske saved his best for last
Two of Fiske’s five sacks came in the playoffs. He also earned four pressures in the Wildcard round against the Carolina Panthers and then three in the NFC Championship game versus the Seattle Seahawks. He also notched five run stops across the three postseason contests.
The former second round pick injured his oblique in warmups ahead of the Rams’ Week 2 matchup at the Tennessee Titans. He then was questionable and limited the following week against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fiske’s pass rushing production remained low until Week 7 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars when he posted eight total pressures (without a sack). He was disruptive again against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12 with five pressures. His next highest totals came in Week 18 and the opening round of the playoffs with four.
Did Fiske’s injury play a role in his slow start? A clean slate in 2026 could work wonders.
Coverage matters
Fiske isn’t the only Rams defensive linemen that had a down year from a pass rushing perspective. Jared Verse did as well.
Perhaps one under discussed element in the conversation is that a struggling secondary was really to blame for the lack of disruption up front. Of course, the coverage should be tighter after the Rams acquired both Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Perhaps all Verse and Fiske need is for opposing quarterbacks to hold the ball a half second longer and they can affect the quarterback more often. Pass rush and coverage work in tandem. Increased pressure also means more opportunities for the secondary to force turnovers.
A rising tide lifts all boats. Improvements in the secondary and a clean bill of health could spell a third-year breakout from Braden Fiske.
