#jaredverse

casually wearing the most lovesick expression u’ve ever seen

puppy playdate :)

are u joking

Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Rams rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson (18) at work during the team's training camp practice at Loyola Marymount University on July 24, 2025. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/News4usOnline What immediately sticks out and smacks you in the face during the team portion of the practice is just how dominant Puka Nacua is. Everybody already knows he is one of the very best playmakers in the NFL, but now entering year three, he should ascend into the elite tier of wide receivers, rivaling guys like Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Nacua was unstoppable on Thursday, getting open with ease and taking it to the house on several occasions when given just a sliver of an opening, and that was without starting quarterback Matthew Stafford throwing him the ball. His 2024-25 season was somewhat of a disappointment, but that was purely due to him only playing 11 games. When he was on the field, he was even more impactful than in his 1,486-yard rookie season. If he plays all 17, he could be pushing for 1,800 yards through the air this year. "He is a total stud. I think by the nature of how he works, you can't help but get better. I love everything that this guy is about, and I think he has done a really good job as he is going into year three of learning how to establish a rhythm and routine that is going to give him the best chance to stay healthy," said Rams head coach Sean McVay. With Kupp out, in enters Davante Adams, who one could argue is an upgrade at the wide receiver position. There probably will not be a better number two option in the league than the three-time First Team All-Pro this upcoming season, and despite having a veteran rest day on Thursday, he was still very present, chopping it up with his teammates and coaching staff. "One of my favorite things that I have seen is just watching (Puka) and Davante mix it up and just talk about their craft," said McVay. "Those special guys elevate people around them, and we have a couple of guys who fall into that bucket, and certainly Davante is one of them. He is special, and I am really excited about the opportunity to continue to work with him and learn from him as well." https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1948554020026831292 Adams is not only an uber-talented pass catcher, but he is also an excellent student of the game, which is one of the reasons he is viewed as one of the best route runners of this generation. He takes his preparation very seriously and has been an extension of the quarterback slotted out wide, dating back to his days with Aaron Rodgers. The presence of Adams will make Nacua better and vice versa. Another wrinkle to Stafford's passing attack this year will be the presence of top draft pick Terrance Ferguson. As if this offense did not already have enough weapons, the rich get richer. Ferguson became the all-time leader in receptions and touchdowns for a tight end during his time at Oregon, and his 6'5", 247-pound frame will present another matchup nightmare for defenses later in the season. While mostly running with the second team offense through two days of camp, Ferguson has been a massive target in the middle of the field. He does not have blazing speed by any means, but he is finding holes in between the numbers and has a knack for exploiting them. Despite sitting behind Tyler Higbee on the depth chart, if Ferguson remains as a go-to target with the 2s, he could overtake the veteran sooner rather than later. Higbee is entering his age -32 - this season still with enough juice to show the young tight end the ropes, and he is also willing to hand them over once Ferguson is up to speed. "Tyler Higbee is a glue guy. That is why he is revered and respected by his teammates and coaches. This guy is all about elevating people, and he knows by doing that he is going to elevate himself," said McVay. "We are going to need all of those guys, and I think it is a really good tight end room as a whole." Moving over to the defensive side of the ball, Jared Verse is more than ready to captain the unit while also taking his game to the next level. The 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year is enormous, fast, and very loud. He never stops talking (sometimes to a fault if you ask his head coach), and he has the game to back it up. https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1948547889300734355 His fearlessness and relentlessness will exude extreme confidence in the group, and he is not afraid of the pressure that comes with being the new face of the defense. "If I mess up, I know ten other guys will be hustling to that ball to make up for it. Just yesterday, I ended up taking a move I shouldn't have taken, and everybody else came in to finish the play for a gain of two. I will take that any day of the week," said Verse. It is no longer a star-studded lineup like when Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd, and Von Miller were terrorizing the league, but it will rather be a complete team effort. One group in particular is already catching Verse's attention. "Our secondary is locking everything up and giving us time to get back there. Honestly, we have minutes to get back there because they are locking everything up on a consistent basis. Knowing that we have that on the back end means that not everything has to be a bull rush immediately to try to get pressure, and I have time to work my own rushes," said Verse. https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1948552713148752037 While no longer in the locker room, Aaron Donald is still having an impact on his successor in the most Aaron Donald way possible. Verse spent some time with the future first ballot Hall of Famer leading up to camp, going over to his house for a workout. "I show up, he doesn't say hi or anything like that, and tells me to stretch however I have to. We do four workouts that are all cardio... so you are already tired. Then you do four sets of two different core workouts, so eight core workouts, and then he was like, 'Alright, are you ready for the real workout?' We go to the weight room, and it is all arms - eight different circuits, each with four sets. We are in there for an hour and a half, and his wife comes in laughing at me, and I told her to call the police... I went home, and I didn't work out for another day and a half because I couldn't move my body," said Verse. The second-year linebacker claims he is "never doing that workout again", but does credit Donald, saying "he did change my workout routine though because now my workouts don't hit anymore, so I have to go a little harder." Expect another big year from Verse as he continues to establish himself as one of the best young defensive players in the game. Like Nacua, he should be viewed as one of the elites at his position by season's end, and having those two high-motor, physical specimens on either side of the ball will make Los Angeles a Super Bowl contender come January. Featured image: Los Angeles Rams rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson (18) goes through practice drills during training camp at Loyola Marymount University on July 24, 2025. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/News4usOnline Read the full article

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 04: Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Jared Verse (5) rushes on defense during a college football game against the Pittsburgh Panthers on November 04, 2023 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire) The challenge for the Rams has been magnified with the retirement of star defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Even at the quarterback position with starter Matthew Stafford and backup Jimmy Garoppolo, another signal-caller would add more youth to that quarterback room.  The Rams came into the 2024 draft coming off a year in which they made a surprising playoff run, losing out to NFC Conference runner-up Detroit Lions. And so with the 19th overall pick in the draft this year, the Rams made Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse their selection.  “It’s a dream come true,” Verse said duing a Zoom press call with reporters. “You work your whole life for this moment. I talked to the Rams throughout the process. Last week I got to meet with them again and do one last interview with them and it felt like the right thing. As you go on, as you go through the whole process and hear them call my name with that Los Angeles Rams attached to it. Woo! Dream come true.” The hole on the defensive line created by the retirement of Donald simply called for the Rams to fill that void immediately. In his two seasons playing for the Seminoles, Verse recorded 18 sacks and 29.5 tackles for losses.  At 6-foot-4 and 254 pounds, Verse has the size to play at the NFL level.  His ability to create havoc in the offensive backfield could be attributed to the motor he has thanks to his track background. At the NFL Combine, Verse posted a 40-yard time of 4.58 seconds.  “It helps your footwork a lot because you can't make false steps,” Verse said. “If you make false steps in track, they don't care how fast you are, but in high school you might be able to get away. When you face top level competition your form has to be perfect, especially on the later runs like the 100 to 200 to 400, your strides become very important.”  “That's why when a quarterback or a running back gets of out the pocket, I have faith in my speed and my form to be able to catch up to him and do something like that. Even if they may be faster, their form is not better than mine,” he added.  Verse is the first player to be selected by the Rams in the first round since 2016. That was the year the Rams made Jared Goff, now the starting quarterback of the Detroit Lions, the face of their franchise.  The Rams have moved on from the Goff experiment and have won a Super Bowl since then with Matthew Stafford manning the quarterback position.  "The way he plays the game, from the first snap to the last snap of the game, he wears people down." ?? Coach McVay on @JaredVerse1 pic.twitter.com/Dpmsi4TFxm— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) April 26, 2024 The Rams want to make another Super Bowl run with Stafford. That means surrounding the veteran quarterback with all the right pieces to enable that to take place. Filling in the gap left behind by Donald was of the highest priority for the Rams. According to the overview of his draft profile, Verse is described as being “twitchy and compact, with explosiveness featured at the point of attack.” Translation: Verse is a disruptor, which McVay likes.   “He's got great hands. He's violent,” McVay said. “He's got a versatile arsenal of moves that he can activate, but he plays the game the way that we want it to be played. We're looking for grown men on defense and I think you've seen a lot of the guys that we've added through free agency and then with the first pick tonight, he was one of the guys that we had targeted and feel really good coming away with him. He's going to make a big impact.” One of the things that has Snead impressed with Verse is his passion for the game.  “The cool thing about him is where he started (at) Albany, transferred to Florida State," Snead said. "Might have gone about where he went tonight last year, but he decided to stay back. I can tell you about him. He's just one of those guys that you want to just watch another game on because you can tell he cares about football. He has fun playing football and oh, by the way, he's pretty disruptive, violent. You think defense, the way he plays is next to the word in the dictionary.” Top Image Caption: CHESTNUT HILL, MA - SEPTEMBER 16: Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Jared Verse (5) in action during the college football game between Florida State Seminoles and Boston College Eagles on September 16, 2023, at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, MA. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire) Read the full article