McGlivra tells all his players that they need to sharpen their best weapons first, and then worry about adding to their arsenal. So Verse hasn't forgotten the V8 engine power that propelled him to Defensive Rookie of the Year. In fact, he's improved upon it.
Verse's strength was so overwhelming that McGilvra told him to lessen the impact of his hands on bull rushes. Even with a chest protector on, Verse's initial punch was just too forceful.
"You don't want to kill me, because then I'm not going to be able to help you anymore," McGilvra said with a laugh. "So I had to tell Jared a couple of times, like, 'Hey, relax man, relax.'"
That emphasis from McGilvra, while intended partially as a personal safety measure, forced Verse to stay looser with his hands. So now, when tackles try to chop them down like Dawkins did last season, Verse will be in a better position to strike back with a counter.
"That's kind of what they rely on (against bull rushes) and once you kind of take away that, it becomes more so tactless," Verse said. "I mean, they become somebody you can work off of and try to use your full toolbox."
Verse added various new moves and developed some of his existing ones to help him come free off linemen after first contact. Now, it's just a matter of choosing the right combination. Incessant film study and a year of NFL experience have given Verse knowledge of offensive line tendencies, aiding his ability to choose the right counter at the right moment.
"I can tell what (opposing linemen are) about to do just by the angle of his foot or, 'Oh he's about to jump step me because his stance is a little bit wider than what it was before,'" Verse said on the Rich Eisen Show. "… Once you know what the person in front of you is going to do, you can react to it however you want."
When he does win a rep, McGilvra said he trained Verse to end up at the quarterback's set point consistently, so he can turn some of his many pressures into more sacks in 2025.
Knowing what the rusher next to him is doing gives him another leg up on any given snap. Verse has always had a mental link with defensive end Braden Fiske, as they were teammates at Florida State, but now he's developing one with Turner as well.
During last Tuesday's practice, Verse and Turner foresaw the same advantage on the interior prior to the snap. They locked eyes, nodded at each other, and went to work on a two-man game. It was the first time he and Turner had ever implemented that wordless communication.
"It comes with time, repetition, getting to know a person," Verse said. "It's not just on the football field, you can just hang with somebody in a locker room all day and all that stuff, but if you don't really get to know that person, it's not really going to happen like that."
Verse recognized an opportunity for his teammate and helped him take it. Instead of going in full minotaur (charging full steam ahead), he slowed down to let Turner progress through his full rush and then reacted off of that.
It resulted in a sack, or it would have if contact had been allowed, and served as a fitting metaphor for Verse's offseason development: Sometimes, the best rush isn't his strongest, but the one the moment calls for.