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Braden Fiske not using injuries as excuse for down year in 2025
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- Braden Fiske not using injuries as excuse for down year in 2025
Braden Fiske burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2024, playing exceptionally well right out of the gates. On a defense that also featured Jared Verse , Kobie Turner and Byron Young , it was Fiske who led the team with 8.5 sacks.
Then the apparent sophomore slump hit in 2025, as Fiske's numbers hit a sharp decline. His sack total dropped from 8.5 to 3.0, recording 14 fewer tackles and only four tackles for a loss after notching 10 as a rookie.
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There's a good chance it wasn't so much of a sophomore slump as it was Fiske dealing with various injuries. He had surgery to repair a knee injury suffered at the end of the 2024 season and popped up on the injury report a couple of times during the 2025 campaign with oblique and ankle ailments.
He admitted injuries impacted him, but he's not using that as an excuse for his decline.
"Obviously last year wasn't my best statistical year, so I had to really go back and do a deep-dive," Fiske said, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com . "I battled some injuries, (but) that was part of the game. That's not an excuse. But I feel great going into the season."
Fiske is happy to say that he's healthy for training camp this year and is ready to go for the regular season, which will be a boost to the Rams defense, too. He has sky-high potential when healthy, as we saw during his rookie year, and he's poised for an even bigger year with Myles Garrett drawing extra attention on the outside.
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"I've talked to people about it, last year, showing up to training camp and not feeling like I wanted to feel, but this year, like I said, I got to do the offseason the way I wanted to," he added. "I feel great, and yeah, I'm just ready to be healthy. I feel great right now, so let's kind of keep that trend going and we'll work from there."
Fiske shouldn't be the forgotten man, even with all the star power on defense in Los Angeles . If he can recapture the magic he showed as a rookie, the Rams could have the No. 1 defense in football.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Braden Fiske not using injuries as excuse for down year in 2025
