LOS ANGELES – For any NFL player, the blessing of going through an offseason free of injury rehab and entering training camp healthy represents a big physical and mental boost.
Count Rams defensive end Braden Fiske among those who can speak to it.
"That's the number one thing," Fiske said, when asked how it feels being healthy entering this year's Rams Training Camp presented by CommunityAmerica Credit Union at LMU. "I've talked to people about it, last year, showing up to training camp and not feeling like I wanted to feel, but this year, like I said, I got to do the offseason the way I wanted to. I feel great, and yeah, I'm just ready to be healthy. I feel great right now, so let's kind of keep that trend going and we'll work from there."
When Fiske entered last year's training camp, he had spent OTAs rehabbing a minor right knee procedure. But in Week 2, he picked up an oblique injury after tweaking that muscle in Week 2 against the Titans that hampered him for a few weeks. Fiske also sustained an ankle injury later in the season.
Despite those setbacks, he still played in every regular season game just as he did his rookie year, starting in 16 of those 17 games in 2024. Fiske said he wouldn't use injuries as an excuse, but after posting 5.5 fewer sacks and 14 fewer total tackles in 2025 compared to 2024, it was evident the effect they had on his production.
"Obviously last year wasn't my best statistical year, so I had to really go back and do a deep-dive," Fiske said. "I battled some injuries, (but) that was part of the game. That's not an excuse. But I feel great going into the season."
This training camp, Fiske is also adjusting to life without close friend and former teammate Jared Verse, who was included in the trade package sent to the Browns for Myles Garrett.
Fiske said the move was a "surprise" at the time, and now things have settled, he admitted to having mixed emotions about it.
"I think you can be happy and sad at the same time for things," Fiske said. "Obviously I lose a brother, somebody I was super close to, played together in college, drafted together, it was a fairy tale type of story, and I think we were a little naive to think that that could have lasted forever, right? I mean, the NFL is a business, things happen, and then you can also be happy on the side of, man, it's not every day you get to play next to a Hall-of-Famer, so I think that opportunity is unbelievable in itself. I'm excited to get to work with Myles, got to talk with him some at OTAs, get a little work in, so I'm excited to get this thing going."
A few weeks into the Rams' summer break following the end of OTAs, Fiske went home to visit family, and it was around that time he started getting the "itch" of wanting to get back to work and be around his teammates again.
How will he scratch that itch now that he's here and back among familiar faces?
"Oh, well, as soon as we hit that conditioning test at 1 o'clock, I'm sure that itch will get scratched pretty quick," Fiske said, drawing laughter from assembled media. "I think as soon as you walk in, it's like you leave off right from where we were in OTAs. Just feels good to see everybody. Being in LA, it's not a not a place you really want to leave, so a lot of guys stick around, and we were able to hang out, get some work in while we were here in the summer. So, like I said, man, excited to be back. It's a great place to be. I love being in L.A, I love being a Ram, so just to be back, getting back to work is the best thing."
And even better: To do it feeling as great as he possibly can.
