Jared Verse isn't aiming to fill shoes left by Myles Garrett after trade to Browns: 'My job is to be the best me'

Jared Verse beamed a radiant smile at several points of his Cleveland Browns introductory news conference on Wednesday.

>“I'm used to hard situations,” the 25-year-old defensive end told reporters.

>After making the Pro Bowl in each of his first two NFL seasons, a career that began with him being selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the 2024 draft and winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year took a hard turn this week. On Monday, the Rams, Super Bowl favorites, dealt Verse to a Browns organization that’s made the playoffs only three times this century.

>Verse was the crown jewel of a trade package Cleveland received in exchange for two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. Born in Dayton, Verse is suddenly back in Ohio.

>"Yeah, it caught me by surprise,” Verse said of the blockbuster transaction.

>“I loved LA. I loved the coaches, the organization, my teammates, everybody a part of it, the staff, the fans — I loved the whole vibe of L.A., the Los Angeles Rams, and it was upsetting. I was upset for a good little bit of time.

>“But when you're an athlete, you understand the nature of business. Everybody does what they think is best for their business, and that's the situation that I'm in. I'm happy to be a part of the Browns. I'm happy that they believed in me and they were able to make that trade and bring me here [to] be with my teammates, [to] be with everybody here.”

>Verse later added: “You got two choices: You can either work, or you can give up. And I ain't never been a quitter."

Verse’s ascension is well-documented. He gave the SparkNotes version on Wednesday. Verse had one offer coming out of Central Columbia High School in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. He started his college career at UAlbany, where he broke out in 2021. Then he transferred to Florida State. While starring for the Seminoles for two seasons, he developed into a Day 1 NFL Draft pick.

>“I've always been doubted my whole life,” Verse said Wednesday. “Leaving college, I was less doubted, but still had the little chip on my shoulder and everything like that. … When I was with the Rams, I was still learning how to play D-End, still learning how to be a football player, NFL player, and how to play at this next level.

>“And the Browns got me. Now I feel like they're going to get the best of me. They're not going to get a half-finished project or something you got to work on. … This is going to be the best version of me. Everything I've done this offseason, it's going to be great.”

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>Verse said the initial disappointment in the trade news dissipated after a couple of hours, following 1-on-1 conversations with now-former Rams teammates Byron Young and Braden Fiske, the latter of whom he also played with at FSU.

>Verse swung his focus to his next chapter, which he emphasized Wednesday isn’t about filling the shoes of Garrett, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer and now the NFL’s single-season sack record holder.

>“That's not my job,” Verse said. “My job is to be the best me. If I'm the best me, I'm not going to be Myles Garrett, I'm not going to be Maxx Crosby, this guy, that guy, the best players in the league. I'm going to be the best Jared, and that's going to be the best player in the league.”

>Verse is coming off a 7.5-sack campaign in L.A. He piled up 58 total tackles and forced three fumbles. Plus, he made an impact in the postseason for the second year in a row, once again tallying a trio of TFLs as the Rams took another stab at a playoff run.

>L.A. trots out a 3-4 defense, whereas Cleveland rides with a 4-3. Verse was noticeably excited about that change as well as the speed at which his fellow defenders were flying around during OTAs on Wednesday. With four down linemen, the Browns’ scheme seems to fit Verse’s “attacking” play style.

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>It’s clear Cleveland saw a place for Verse in the unit. When explaining the Garrett trade on Tuesday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry voiced how Verse was the linchpin of a deal that also landed the franchise a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-rounder.

>The third-year backfield wrecker appreciated that insight.

>“I feel like that's a testament to not only me but my family,” Verse said. “How hard we work and everything like that.

>“I feel like hard work never fails you. And to know that this wasn't going to go through if I wasn't a part of it, it's good to know that. That was probably the biggest fact that bought some sunshine into this whole situation for me. I saw that and was like, 'Yeah, they want me.' It was cool to know that.”