Braden Fiske Believes Versatility Is Helping Defense

The Los Angeles Rams defense was among the youngest and cheapest in the NFL last season, but thanks to immediate impacts from rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, L.A.’s defense quickly rose to be one of the best. So going into the 2025 season, expectations were sky high for the Rams to take another leap on defense.

Their first game showed it, as they held C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans to nine points en route to a season-opening victory. They forced two turnovers and kept the Texans at 4.6 yards per play on the day. And Fiske and Verse were once again leaders, despite not having eye-catching stats for the day.

Fiske assessed where the Rams defense was at after Week 1, saying that his versatility — along with the rest of the defense — allows them to keep things fresh against a good offense, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:

“I think just with the versatility of being able to play inside-outside, they just kind of like to move me around,” Fiske told theRams.com. “It gives everybody different ops everywhere. I mean, usually when you see me bump outside, you see a B.Y. (outside linebacker Byron Young) roaming around the inside, or Jared (Verse) roaming around the inside. We just kind of try to mix and match things, give different looks at offensive line. Give them some different look at. Just trying to change up the looks.”

He also mentioned that having that versatility allows the Rams’ defenders to appreciate the others and what they do best naturally:

“It’s good for me, I think for all of us as a unit,” Fiske said. “Giving each other different looks, I think it definitely gives a different appreciation to each other (of) what it feels like to be in those different spots. Because when I move outside, ‘Oh, there’s a lot of space out here.’ Usually, I’m on the inside, ‘Hey, two or three steps, I’m at the guard, right?’ And when I’m outside like, ‘Oh, there’s a little too much to work with!’ You gotta change up the flow (of) your game when you move outside. Talking to Verse and B.Y., too, when they move inside, they’re like, ‘Yo, this is, like, way different!’ So it’s kind of cool to get that different viewpoint of things on the field.”

The Rams defense not only has an array of young and exciting talent, they also seem to have real chemistry and an appreciation for one another. They look like a real unit with the 2025 season underway, and that’s massive with the offense likely needing some time to mesh together.

Rams’ Byron Young excited to return to Tennessee in Week 2

The Rams opened the 2025 season with a 14-9 win over the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium and now are preparing for their first road game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 2.

The upcoming matchup represents a homecoming for outside linebacker Byron Young, who played part of his college career at the nearby University of Tennessee before being selected by the Rams in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Young said he is looking forward to returning to Tennessee and catching up with family and friends, hopefully bringing home a win in the process.