Why Jared Verse Was Among NFL’s Unluckiest Players in 2024

Jared Verse is an edge rusher who won the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year despite only 4½ sacks in 2024. So, imagine how dangerous he could’ve been had he not left at least 10 sacks on the field last year.

Kevin Patra can imagine it. To mark Friday the 13th, the NFL.com writer carved out space to include the Rams’ budding superstar in his list of unluckiest players. Using numbers from Next Gen Stats, only a broken mirror or a black cat in his path could’ve explained how Verse ranked fourth in the league with 76 quarterback pressures but tied for 95th with those 4½ quarterback sacks.

“The 5.9 pct sack conversion rate (4.5 sacks on 76 pressures) ranked lowest in the NFL among 72 edge rushers with 250+ pass rush snaps in 2024,” Patra wrote Friday. “Verse has already vowed to change this negative figure in 2025.”

Indeed, he did. Last week, Verse told Adam Schefter – just before the youngster challenged Aaron Donald to a workout competition -- that sacks number is going up.

“That's all I know,” he said, “because I'm not giving them up like I was last year. I'm going to take that little extra step, keep my feet underneath me and I'm taking everything I get this year. I know that.”

He also knows he opened lanes for college teammate Braden Fiske (8½) as well as Kobie Turner (8) and Byron Young (7½) to combine for 24 sacks as a trio. That impact was not lost on him when looking back at what he remembered most from 2024.

“If I'm being honest with you,” Verse told Schefter, “it was all the mistakes I made and still was able to make an impact.”

Patra listed Verse among some solid company among veteran pass rushers. The Rams’ rookie, however, was the only NFL player last year to finish with at least 75 pressures without a corresponding double-digit sacks total.

Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson led the league in both pressures (92) and sacks (17½ sacks), Houston’s Danielle Hunter had 90 and 12, Cleveland’s Myles Garrett had 84 and 14 sacks, Verse posted 76 and 4½ sacks and Dallas’ Micah Parsons finished with 75 and 12.

The other unluckiest players of 2024, according to Patra, were Saquon Barkley, Justin Herbert, Baker Mayfield, Caleb Williams, Geno Smith, Josh Jacobs, Nico Collins and Olamide Zaccheaus.

The best source for Rams breaking news is on Twitter (X). Be sure to follow @RamsInsideronSI and @BrockVierra for all the latest information as it happens.

Plus, visit our Facebook page here to connect with Rams fans around the globe, with great interaction.