Terron Armstead glad he never has to face Jared Verse again: ‘He will be a Defensive Player of the Year’

Former Miami Dolphins tackle Terron Armstead’s days competing in the NFL are now firmly behind him. He announced his retirement from the league earlier this offseason after he played 12 seasons, three with the Dolphins and nine with the New Orleans Saints.

News of Armstead’s decision to step away from the game might have left plenty of Dolphins fans with a bittersweet feeling, but Armstead mentioned what he believes to be one clear positive from his retirement. He said that he’s glad he won’t have to face off against Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse again.

Armstead explained that Verse is a handful to contain and predicted that the youngster will win a Defensive Player of the Year award at some point during his NFL career.

“He will be a Defensive Player of the Year one of these days,” Armstead said. “Mark my words.”

Verse was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year across 17 games played and 16 starts with the Rams last season and earned a Pro Bowl selection in addition. In his maiden NFL season, he compiled 66 combined tackles, 36 solo tackles, 30 assisted tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks.

He’s already proven that he was well worth the Rams using a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on him. Los Angeles drafted Verse with the No. 19 overall selection after he made a name for himself at Florida State University.

Armstead and Verse crossed paths last season when the Dolphins and Rams did battle in a regular-season contest in November. The Dolphins won the game by a final score of 23-15, but Verse made his presence felt with four combined tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

That contest marked one of Miami’s three road wins all season long, as the team struggled mightily to win games away from home.

Verse is seemingly already becoming one of the top defenders in the league and should continue to be a nightmare for NFL offenses for years to come. So, it’s a no-brainer why Armstead is relieved he won’t be doing battle against him on the field ever again, and hopefully, Armstead will enjoy his time in retirement.