Jared Verse, Defensive End, Florida State
While Poles did everything he could to overhaul the offense, he cannot forget the defense. Yes, the defense had a revival in 2023. The Chicago Bears had the top-ranked defense against the run. Furthermore, they led the league in interceptions and ranked fifth in total turnovers forced.
One of the big reasons for the improvement on defense was the addition of defensive end Montez Sweat. The Chicago Bears gave up a second-round pick to acquire Sweat just before the trade deadline. Once he stepped foot on the field he transformed the pass rush.
The problem is what happened to Sweat in the regular season finale. The Green Bay Packers threw as many bodies toward Sweat. That slowed his path to the quarterback. As a result, Jordan Love had all day to throw and he torched the secondary.
We know other teams around the league will do what the Packers did. Without having another edge rusher to make teams pay for sending double or triple teams at Sweat, opponents will have the same success as Love did.
Jared Verse would be a great addition to the defensive line. He could make teams pay for putting a lot of attention to Sweat. Wherever he’s been, he has succeeded. He started at Albany and, after a redshirt season, he was on the All-Coastal Athletic Association first team. He transferred to Florida State and in his two seasons there he was All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team. In 2023, he was also a Second-Team All-American.
Verse is an extremely athletic player. He started as a tight end before switching to defensive end. He is explosive off the snap and has a variety of moves to get past attempted blocks. He has a knack for finding the pocket. His elite instincts help him diagnose a play and adjust quickly.
Verse uses his explosiveness to create an incredible bull rush. He will get on the blocker almost instantly and get him off balance. He can play in all defensive schemes. That gives the Chicago Bears flexibility with schemes.
Having Verse helps the Chicago Bears’ $98 million investment in Sweat. Sweat could also be a great mentor to Verse and give the defense a great one-two punch on the defensive line.
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