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Braden Fiske

Rams DL Braden Fiske Fully Recovered From Knee Surgery

June 3rd, 2025 at 11:16am CST by Adam La Rose

A knee injury suffered during the Rams’ divisional round loss took Braden Fiske out of that contest. He required surgery to address the issue, but head coach Sean McVay noted in February missed time in the 2025 regular season was not a concern.

Not only has that proven to be the case, a return to action well in advance of training camp has taken place. Fiske has been present for OTAs and has been able to take part in individual drills. The second-year defensive tackle’s recovery no doubt represents a welcomed recovery for the team given his importance.

“I’m feeling great right now,” Fiske said (via the team’s website). “Everything went as planned. We’re even ahead of the process now [compared to] where I thought I was going to be. I’m full go right now, moving… doing everything and feeling great.”

Fiske made three consecutive starts to begin his NFL career, although his playing time dropped for a stretch after that. By the end of the campaign, though, he was once again a mainstay along the Rams’ defensive front. The 25-year-old wound up leading the team in sacks with 8.5. That production helped make him a finalist for the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, a honor which went to teammate Jared Verse. 

Those two are set to remain key figures for Los Angeles’ defense in 2025 and for many years beyond that. Fiske in particular will be tasked with building off his strong rookie season and in doing so helping to fill the void created by Aaron Donald‘s retirement. Kobie Turner – selected in the third round of the 2023 draft – has enjoyed a strong start to his career, and he and Fiske could prove to be a highly effective tandem along the defensive interior for years to come. With time remaining on both of their rookie contracts, the Fiske-Turner partnership is also a cost-effective one for the time being.

The Rams’ youth movement on defense produced surprisingly strong results in 2024, and the unit was key in getting Los Angeles to the second round of the playoffs. A repeat of that success could very well be in store this season, and Fiske will be counted on to operate as an impactful presence along the D-line. Barring any setbacks this summer, he will do so with a clean bill of health.

NFC West Notes: Rams, Seahawks, Cards

February 6th, 2025 at 9:32pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Rams are hiring former Ravens, Giants, and Patriots defensive assistant Drew Wilkins as their next defensive pass-game coordinator, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Wilkins started out as an intern in Baltimore in 2011 and worked his way up John Harbaugh‘s staff. When Don ‘Wink’ Martindale took over as defensive coordinator in 2018, he promoted Wilkins to outside linebackers coach. The Ravens parted ways with Martindale in 2022, and Wilkins followed his mentor to the Giants, where he continued in the same position. However, Wilkins did not follow Martindale to Michigan in 2024, instead choosing to join Jerod Mayo‘s staff in New England.

Like Martindale, Wilkins is known for his blitz packages that prioritized pressure over sacks. In his seven seasons coaching outside linebackers, only one reached double-digit sacks in a season (Kayvon Thibodeaux in 2023). The Patriots’ pass rush struggled under Wilkins in 2024, but he will have access to a more talented defensive line in Los Angeles. Wilkins will seek to get the most out of the Rams’ young, athletic quartet of Kobie Turner, Jared Verse, Byron Young, and Braden Fiske.

  • Fiske left the Rams’ divisional-round loss with a knee injury that will require surgery, per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. However, head coach Sean McVay told media that it would be a “minor procedure” that “won’t affect his ability to be ready for next year.”
  • Mike Macdonald made a few hires heading into his second year as the Seahawks‘ head coach. Andrew Janocko will join Seattle as their quarterbacks coach, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. This will be Janocko’s third stint as quarterbacks coach under offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. The two first coached together in Minnesota in 2021 and reunited in New Orleans last year, where they were joined by offensive line coach John Benton. Benton is also set to follow Kubiak to Seattle, according to Pelissero, where he will look to improve an offensive line that allowed 54 sacks in 2024, the third-most in the NFL.
  • Kubiak will not be bringing in his own wide receivers coach; incumbent Frisman Jackson will be retained, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. After a disappointing rookie year from 2023 first-rounder Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jackson joined the staff coached the former Ohio State star to 100 receptions and 1,130 receiving yards in 2024.
  • The Cardinals hired Cowboys assistant defensive backs coach Cristian Garcia to be their next inside linebackers coach, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. Dallas was hoping to retain Garcia, but he opted to take a promotion on Jonathan Gannon‘s staff.

Rams Sign Second-Round DT Braden Fiske

May 10th, 2024 at 7:45pm CST by Ely Allen

The Rams have begun the process of signing their 2024 NFL Draft picks. They open their draft signings by inking second-round defensive tackle out of Florida State Braden Fiske. According to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, Fiske enters the NFL on a four-year, $9.41MM deal that sees a $3.66MM signing bonus and 15 percent of his Year 4 salary included in the total fully guaranteed amount of $7.64MM.

Fiske was part of an undefeated (in the regular season) Florida State squad built off the transfer portal. Fiske was one of those contributors out of the portal for the Seminoles after five years at Western Michigan.

The Michigan-native became a full-time starter in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and set career highs with the Broncos two years later in total tackles (58), tackles for loss (12.0), sacks (six), forced fumbles (two), and pass deflections (three). In one season as a full-time starter in Tallahassee, Fiske did more of the same, tallying nine tackles for loss and six sacks en route to a second-team All-ACC selection.

Fiske’s game should translate well at the NFL level. He brings ideal size to the position and wins often with his initial quickness. Mainly relying on club moves and bull rushes, he’ll need to add a few more moves to his pass-rush arsenal, but his consistency and drive will likely help him earn a big role as a rookie.

In Los Angeles, Fiske joins a defensive front that looks to replace future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald and Jonah Williams. The team returns second-year nose tackle Kobie Turner, who started four games as a rookie, and Bobby Brown III, who started 13 games but played less than half as many defensive snaps as Turner. Fiske stands to likely slot in as a starter, if not simply a large contributor, as a rookie, similar to Turner last year. His ability to play all over the line should allow Fiske several opportunities to earn his way onto the field.

Including Fiske’s fellow Florida State transfer contributor Jared Verse, the team’s first-round selection, the Rams have nine other draft picks to sign:

Panthers Deal No. 39 To Rams

April 26th, 2024 at 6:47pm CST by Ely Allen

The Panthers acquired No. 39 from the Giants in the Brian Burns trade; they are sending that pick to the Rams. Los Angeles will use the pick to select another Florida State defensive lineman in Braden Fiske. Through this pick, the Panthers will add a Rams second-rounder in 2025. Los Angeles will also send Carolina Nos. 52 and 155.

Apart from Burns’ Florida State affiliation in this deal, the Seminoles continue to be involved in Los Angeles’ draft plan. Fiske is set to rejoin Florida State pass rusher Jared Verse, who the Rams selected at No. 19 overall last night.

Much like Verse, Fiske was a transfer addition to the Seminoles’ ACC championship team. Fiske arrived in Tallahassee after five years at Western Michigan, where he had 27.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks. He gave the Seminoles impressive one-year production with nine tackles for loss and six sacks en route to second-team All-ACC honors.

Fiske will join Verse in the Rams’ efforts to replace the defensive production lost with the retirement of future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. He’ll have to work his way into the rotation with Kobie Turner and Bobby Brown III, but Fiske figures to see the field early as a rookie.

The Panthers move back 13 picks but add the mid-fifth-round selection as a result. While it would’ve been nice to have two fifth-round picks in a row, Los Angeles still retains the 154th pick, giving Carolina the pick it acquired in the multi-pick trade that brought Kevin Dotson from Pittsburgh.