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Analyst names Rams' most important 2nd-year player
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- Analyst names Rams' most important 2nd-year player
Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Josaiah Stewart logged just 374 defensive snaps as a rookie, but one NFL analyst believes the second-year edge rusher is positioned for a much bigger role in 2026.
Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon named the 2025 third-rounder as the Rams' most important second-year player heading into the season, passing over 2025 second-round tight end Terrance Ferguson .
Tight end Terrance Ferguson was the team's top draft pick, but he remains stuck in a crowd at that position in L.A.
Instead, with Jared Verse out the door and Myles Garrett sure to hog a massive amount of attention on one edge, both Byron Young and Stewart should get plenty of opportunities to make plays for the Rams defense.
Stewart finished his rookie season with three sacks, six quarterback hits and 22 combined tackles while appearing in all 17 games. But his snap count was, similar to Ferguson, more about the crowded depth chart around him than his lack of ability. Stewart played just 33% of the Rams' defensive snaps behind a deep edge rotation that included Verse and Young.
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Efficiency metrics suggest Stewart made the most of his limited opportunities. He ranked behind only the Giants' Abdul Carter in Pro Football Focus pass-rush grade among rookie edge defenders, posting a 74.0 mark. Stewart's pass-rush win rate of 15.3% also topped Carter's, despite the Giants standout going No. 3 overall in the 2025 draft.
With Verse no longer on the roster and Garrett expected to draw heavy attention as the Rams' primary edge threat, the door is open for Stewart to see a significant snap-count jump in Year 2. If his per-snap production scales with increased playing time, the Rams' pass rush could take a notable step forward — making Stewart's development one of the more important storylines to track heading into the season.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: OLB Josaiah Stewart named Rams' most important 2nd-year player
