WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Quarterbacks are used to being fearful of Jared Verse's speed and power coming off the edge.
Now, imagine how terrified Colts quarterback Daniel Jones and center Tanor Bortolini felt as the Rams outside linebacker paced back and forth directly in front of Bortolini pre-snap before the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Verse bulldozed his way through to the passer.
It helped contribute to Verse's season-high six pressures, according to Next Gen Stats, and he finished with a sack for the second-straight game.
"Well, I tried to talk to them into doing that for like, three weeks," Verse said Tuesday. "They wouldn't do it, and then I threw it out last week and they randomly added it in, and I was like, 'Alright, f--- it, let's try it!' I didn't think they were gonna call it in-game. They call it and I'm like, 'Alright, bet, I gotta make this worth it, I gotta keep this call in.'"
According to defensive coordinator Chris Shula, Los Angeles deployed Verse in a package like that "once or twice" last season. While it wasn't often enough to catch opponents' eyes and warrant preparing for entering the 2025 season, it wasn't like they were trying to keep it from showing up on tape this season for opponents to study, either.
Shula said they always want to put players in position to use their entire skillset, and that it's fun to move Verse around the formation.
"We're not necessarily trying to save stuff or anything," Shula said. "So whatever we got to do to win that week, and whatever we think is best based on matchups, based on how they're protecting, we just want to put our players in the best position to go play their best game."
Strategically using Verse in the same manner could help the Rams create advantageous matchups this week against a 49ers offense that gave Verse one of his toughest matchups his rookie season in left tackle and 15-year NFL veteran Trent Williams. Verse on The Adam Schefter this summer said Williams gave him his "Welcome to the NFL" moment with the way Williams matched his strength and the way he was unable move Williams' hands on his rushes when the two teams played each other in Week 3 (Williams missed the second Rams-49ers game with an ankle injury).
"Trent's one of the best lineman ever, like he's a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer for a reason," Verse said. "He's played in the league for, I think he's been in the league longer than I've played football, so, like, he kind of understands it. But I think the biggest challenges he adds is, like, with age you become more savvy. He's figured out, 'Okay, like, I'm not even gonna take this block on head-on, I'm gonna manipulate it,' and he's gonna mess with you a little bit, just enough that it makes you not be able to make the play. But he's also still that dominant version of Trent where it's like, he can kick-set, he can get right in front of you, he can eat power, he can stop you in the pass rush. He has a lot of things you gotta focus on to be able to be successful against him."
It remains to be see how often the two of them will line up across from one another when the Rams host the 49ers Thursday night at SoFi Stadium, or how widely across the formation the Rams will deploy Verse overall, but he clearly hopes he gets more opportunities to be used in different ways just as he was last week.
"It's something I enjoy," Verse said. "I like being in different positions because, like, it's not often I get to go up against a center or guard and use my speed, my power, to be able to play them games from a different position. I like that."
