LOS ANGELES – Coming off his most productive NFL season yet where he was honored with his first Pro Bowl and is in the NFL Top 100 heading into the 2026 season, outside linebacker Byron Young is energized for the new season.

"We definitely got a chip on our shoulder," Young said. "Over the years, how hard we work, every year you see we've been getting better. We came up short last year, and this year, our goal is to take it all the way and finish the job."

Young had a career-high 12-sack, 82-tackle regular season last year, and added eight tackles in the postseason. One factor for him in the postseason, though, was a lingering knee injury that marked him questionable for the NFC championship game, where he ultimately ended up playing.

After practicing Day 1 of Rams Training Camp presented by CommunityAmerica Credit Union, Young took Day 2 off to continue to manage that same knee.

"I practiced yesterday, but don't want to do too much to overload our workload," Young said. "We got a plan to just take some time and get back there in a couple of days. But just day by day, we're trying to last for 17 games and postseason. ... It's the same knee. It was challenging, but at the same time I trust the training staff. It's been something I was dealing with for years now and they always came through for me."

Head coach Sean McVay noted, though, that Young's modified practice approach is no different than quarterback Matthew Stafford's.

"It's no different than Matthew," McVay said. "We have guys that have accumulated a bunch of snaps, and the goal is, let's be proactive instead of reactive. So we've always looked at him as a guy that kind of fits in that tier one category, similar to what we do with Matthew."

When Young is able to participate in practice, he completes the new-look Rams defensive front that received a boost and plenty of high praise so far this offseason. Defensive ends Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske return for another season, and likely working opposite of Young will be seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett.

Already in just the first two days of training camp, Young finds himself in awe of Garrett's craft. While Young took Day 2 off from training camp, he could gain a better appreciation for what Garrett can do as he watched along.

"Every rep," Young said, when asked if he's seen anything from Garrett on the field that's shown why Garrett is the caliber of player he is. "When he first got out there, his first step is insane. The way he got off the ball, if you see him go every rep, he can get about three or four yards on the first step. That right there, alone, is just amazing. So watching him play and practice and his mindset getting off the ball, that's something I want to work on and be better at."

Garrett isn't the only annual Defensive Player of the Year-caliber defensive end Young has had the opportunity to share the field with. Speculation aside, what's undeniable is the year of overlap that Young shared with 10-time Pro Bowl selection and former Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald. Although it was Young's rookie season, he played in all 17 games and made 16 starts.

Now going into Year 4, Young still carries along pieces of how Donald approached that game that he tries to replicate.

"Just being patient, understanding that every play writes its own story," Young said when asked what he learned from Donald. "Every play it's going to be different. If you make a mistake, just put that play behind you and just make up for it. But just be patient, understand mistakes are going to happen, and just learn from it."

Year 4 is also the final year of Young's rookie contract. The pressure of that, however, falls to the wayside for him — because contract or not, he still has to play in 2026.

"The way I see it, regardless, I'm gonna have to play out this year," Young said. "Everything is gonna work itself out. It's part of the game, but, regardless, if I don't get a contract right now or later on, I still gotta play this year. So I'm just focused on this season and finishing the year strong."

No matter the contract-year situation or working through the lingering knee injury, Young is eager to play for Los Angeles in the 2026 season.