Rams' Pass Rushing Duo Took Bold Steps in 2025

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. Los Angeles Rams edge defenders Jared Verse and Byron Young has an amazing sophomore campaign together, with both earning Pro Bowl selections, with both setting new career highs in sacks.

Pro Football Focus' Ryan Smith put together a ranking of the NFL's best edge defenders with Verse and Young ending up as top 15 selections.

Byron Young

Young came in as the 10th-ranked edge defender with a grade of 83.6. While his Pro Bowl selection was the biggest honor of Young's career so far, it's his association with the NFL's best that has driven him massive jump in value.

"Young broke out in a big way in 2025 after two subpar seasons with the Rams to start his career, joining Will Anderson Jr. and Myles Garrett as the only three edge defenders ranking among the top 15 in pass-rush (81.2) and run-defense grade (77.8)," stated Smith. "His 52 defensive stops were the most for any edge defender this season as well."

PFF also ranked Young as the 83rd best player in football.

"Young put together one of the most complete seasons of any edge defender in the league. He was one of only three players at the position — alongside Myles Garrett and Will Anderson Jr. — to rank among the top 15 in both PFF pass-rushing grade (81.2) and PFF run-defense grade (77.8)," stated PFF. "Young also led all edge defenders in run-stop rate (9.8%)."

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse (8) and Byron Young (0) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It's not accurate to say Young had two subpar seasons, especially when he finished his rookie season with the second-highest amount of sacks as a rookie, leading Anderson Jr by one and trailing Kobie Turner by one in 2023. In 2024, Young and the Rams were dealing with Chris Shula's growing pains, pains compounded by Aaron Donald's retirement.

When given the proper platform to perform, Young continuously shows up and shows out, using his cerebral nature to give him an edge over his opposition, an opening Young often exploits with his speed and flexibility.

Jared Verse

Verse came in ranked 13th with a PFF grade of 80.8.

"No edge defender played more snaps this season than Verse, who was on the field 1,026 snaps, including the playoffs," stated Smith. "His 27 quarterback hits led the league, but his 18 missed tackles were the second-most for any edge defender this season, something he will need to clean up moving forward to take the next step in his game’s development."

Dec 29, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse (8) blocks a Atlanta Falcons field goal and returns it for a touchdown during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

PFF also ranked Verse as the 68th-best player in the NFL.

"Verse amassed 100 quarterback pressures in his second NFL season, tying him for second among edge defenders," stated PFF. "While he didn’t win as consistently as he did in his rookie campaign, the fact that he generated an 80.0-plus PFF pass-rush grade for the second straight season highlights how quickly he has developed into one of the NFL's premier players at the position."

While Verse's ability to finish plays didn't take the tick up as expected, his overall game did. With a year of growth, Verse is set to enter his third NFL season, and if he can add a pass rush move to his arsenal that plays off his patented bull rush, Verse could be a defensive player of the year candidate.

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