Jared Verse challenged future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald to a workout this offseason. Donald announced his retirement after the 2023 season, but the session went about as expected.
‘I tried to test a legend… and he responded with a workout from hell. Learned my lesson,’ Verse posted on social media accompanied with a picture.
While Verse lost a workout challenge to an all-time great, the mere fact he wanted to compete against Donald shows his mentality.
Verse desires to be the next Rams star defensive player.
Last year Verse became the first Rams player to win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award since Donald in 2014 and the third player overall in franchise history. Shortly after winning the award, Verse told the media he’s not satisfied.
‘I think it’s a small step towards (becoming) one of the best players ever,’ Verse said. ‘But there’s a lot of people that have won this award that after they win it, they get satisfied. That’s the main thing, you can’t get satisfied. This is just a small step to a big goal.’
Verse led all rookies in QB hits (18) and pressures (77) last season. He’s a confident and more comfortable player going into Year 2 as the Rams conduct training camp.
“He’s got a relentless energy. I think he’s understanding how to be able to use that to his advantage. He’s continuing to mature. We used to hear Aaron Donald talk about controlled aggression and how consistent he can be,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “He has high standards for himself. He is getting better but he’s also very coachable…I love the guy’s approach. I love his energy.”
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On paper, the Rams appear to be improved from the team that pushed the eventual Super Bowl 59 champion Philadelphia Eagles to the brink during the divisional round of the 2024 playoffs. The Rams replaced Cooper Kupp with Davante Adams, drafted tight end Terrance Ferguson in the second round and added defensive tackle Poona Ford.
The Rams offense is generating a lot of buzz with Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Adams, but the team’s defense could be a lot better, especially upfront with a more experienced Verse and Braden Fiske.
“For one, we’re young. And two, we’re relentless. We get after it. I think we’re just hungry. We got a lot of guys that are hungry to take that next step in their career and just get after it. As a whole, as a team and as a defense, we just appreciate being able to go out there together because these things don’t come often when you have a group like we have,” Fiske said this week. “I’m just excited to get after it with these guys. We got a really, really solid group.”
The defending NFC West champion Rams are entering this season as the division favorite. The Rams have only won the NFC West in back-to-back years once under McVay (2017-2018).
Los Angeles had the NFL’s 26th ranked defense a year ago. An improved defense could be the key ingredient to another division crown. They have an emerging defensive star who’s not complacent and hungry for more. And thanks to Donald, Verse has a new workout regime as he prepares to lead the defense into the regular season.
“That workout was psychotic. I’m never doing that again. He did change my workout routine. Now my workouts don’t hit anymore. So, I had to go a little harder,” Verse said. ‘It was insane to see that’s the level it takes to be in the discussions of best defensive player ever or best player ever. So that’s the level I have to reach on a consecutive basis. That’s what I’m striving for now.’
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.