Who was the coach who followed Bear Bryant at Alabama? What about the guy who was named the starting quarterback after Joe Namath with the New York Jets? Who was named head coach in Green Bay after Vince Lombardi left? Who followed Tom Brady as the starting QB when he moved on?
One thing we know today: Jared Verse will become the player who will follow the absence of Browns EDGE rusher Myles Garrett.
RELATED: BROWNS TRADE MYLES GARRETT TO THE LA RAMS
A year ago, Garrett told the world he wanted to be
traded to a team that had a chance of winning a Super Bowl. He then stayed in Cleveland and got a huge contract instead. Monday, he was sent to the Los Angeles Rams, who just happen to be favored to win the next Super Bowl.
In that trade, the Rams sent over DE Jared Verse along with draft picks. Apparently, once DC Jim Schwartz wasn’t retained, Garrett was now fair game for a trade.
This makes Verse the guy who will come in and replace the NFL two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Who is Verse? What does he offer the Browns?
Beginnings
Verse, age 25, is an Ohio kid. Well, sort of. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, and attended Shaw Elementary School in Beavercreek. He then moved to Greenville, North Carolina, but grew up in Berwick, Pennsylvania, situated along the Susquehanna River, located about halfway between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
He was very athletic and participated in three sports: track, basketball, and football. He attended D.H. Conley High School in Greenville for his freshman year before transferring to Central Columbia High School, a small country school in Lime Ridge, PA, with just over 600 students. He showed talent in all three sports.
In track, he participated in the 100 and 200 meters, the 4×100, plus the 4×400 relays in the PIAA AA state meet. He placed third in both the 100 (11.34) and 200 (22.68), but his relay team won the state championship.
As good as he was in track, he excelled in football and played both ways. He lined up at tight end on offense and defensive end while on defense. As a sophomore, he was named First Team All-Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference. Verse repeated that in his junior campaign as well as in his senior year for three consecutive honors.
He accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Albany. As with most newcomers, he redshirted in his freshman year. Verse then appeared in 15 games over the next two seasons. His stats: 74 total tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, 15 hurries, two forced fumbles, and one batted pass.
At Albany, he was named a FCS Freshman All-American, CAA “Defensive Rookie of the Year” honors, and Second-Team All-Colonial Athletic Association.
Verse then entered the transfer portal, where 30 programs made him offers. He accepted a scholarship from Florida State. In his first year, he played in all 12 contests with nine starts. He had 48 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 3 hurries, 1 fumble recovery, and 9 sacks. He also blocked a field goal attempt.
In one year, he was named First Team All-American, First Team All-ACC, and named the FSU Defensive MVP.
In his final year, he started all 13 games and had 41 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 11 hurries, 3 batted passes, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and one blocked kick. He was voted AFCA First-Team All-American, First Team All-ACC, semifinalist for the Lombardi Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy, winner of the Bobby Bowden Leadership Award, and again named FSU Defensive MVP.
College accolades:
- Two-time First Team All-American
- CAA “Defensive Rookie of the Year”
- Two-time First Team All-ACC
- First-team All-CAA
- Second-team All-CAA
- FCS Freshman All-American
- Two-time FSU Defensive MVP
- Bobby Bowden Leadership Award winner
- Lombardi Award semifinalist
- Lott IMPACT Trophy semifinalist
- Wuerffel Trophy nominee
At the Combine, he posted the third-fastest 40-yard dash time among players at his position, a 4.58
His Pro Day results:
Height: 6’-4”
Weight: 260 pounds
Hand: 9 7/8”
Arm: 33 1/2”
Wingspan: 79 1/2”
40-yard dash: 4.58
20-yard shuttle: 4.44
3-cone: 7.31
225-pound bench press: 31 reps
Vertical jump: 35”
Broad jump: 10’7”
College games: 38
College snaps: 1,650
Follow on social media:
Twitter: @JaredVerse1
Instagram: @jversee
On to the NFL
In the 2024 NFL Draft, Verse was selected 19th overall in Round 1 by the Rams. This was the draft where three QBs went with the first three picks: Caleb Williams (Bears), Jayden Daniels (Commanders), and Drake Maye (Patriots).
Defensive end Laiatu Latu out of UCLA was drafted #15 by the Indianapolis Colts, followed by Dallas Turner with the Minnesota Vikings, and then Verse was the third DE to come off the board.
Verse had an exceptional training camp and was an opening-day starter for Los Angeles against the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football, a 26-20 overtime loss. He got his first sack in that game. Verse was later named the “Defensive Rookie of the Month” for September, so right out of the gate, he was impressive.
At season’s end, he had played on 834 defensive snaps, or 74.8% of all defensive reps. Verse played in all 17 games with 16 starts, 66 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 18 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 batted passes, 13 knockdowns, 15 hurries, 33 pressures, and 17 missed tackles.
Verse was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team, earned his first Pro Bowl, and was voted NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He also ran back a scoop-and-score in the playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Last year, Verse’s stats: played in all 17 games with 17 starts, 58 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 27 QB hits, 3 forced fumbles, 1 batted pass, 18 knockdowns, 10 hurries, 36 pressures, 4 missed tackles, 856 defensive snaps, or 76.0% of all defensive reps.
Again, Verse was named to the Pro Bowl, making that two sets of hardware in two seasons. Verse has continued his role as a standout edge defender. It is doubtful this trade would have come off if Verse had not been included.
Verse brings a seasoned pass rush to the table. He has quite a few moves with polished technique. He possesses elite athletic skills and, with his track background, is a lot faster than most offensive tackles can handle, with a great first step. Was clocked at 21.14 MPH before he was drafted.
Exceptional bend and functional strength. He has shown growth with missed tackles, going from 17 in his rookie year to just four this past season.
Very strong guy. Can squat 555 pounds, clean jerk 360 pounds, and bench 455 pounds. Relentless motor with high effort. His Pro Football Focus grade for 2025 was an amazing 83.9. His total pressures tallied up to 80 for the season.
Since Verse entered the league in 2024, he has 99 pressures. The only players that exceed this in that span are Parsons (119) and Garrett (109), per ESPN Research.
With the addition of Verse, the Browns now have on their roster the past two NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year recipients. LB Carson Schwesinger won the prestigious award this past season.
Who followed Myles Garrett in Cleveland as a pass rusher? It seems it is Jared Verse.
How are you feeling about the Browns trade now that you are well-versed in Verse?
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