BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Anyone expecting Jared Verse to be the next Myles Garrett after Monday's blockbuster trade between the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams are already going to be disappointed.
For one, Verse can't literally step into Garrett's shoes.
“Myles he’s a size 13, Nikes, whatever they are. I’m a size 13½, size 14 Jordans. I’m not here to fill his shoes. I’m here to bring my own,” Verse said on Wednesday after taking part in his first practice
with the Browns.
Verse said he has watched plenty of film of Garrett and keyed in on a couple of things he does. But he has taken some of the technical moves in Garrett's game and tried to make them his own.
Verse arrived in Cleveland on Tuesday afternoon and took his physical. He took part in individual and position drills on Wednesday as the Browns conducted their eighth voluntary organized team activity practice.
There isn't much time during the offseason program to bring Verse up to speed. The Browns have two more OTA sessions on Thursday and Friday before next week's three-day mandatory minicamp wraps up everything until training camp begins in late July.
Verse is going from the Rams' 3-4 scheme and playing outside linebacker to the Browns' 4-3 base and lining up at defensive end, which he did at Florida State. Coach Todd Monken said moving back to a 4-3 should be easier.
Verse had 4½ sacks en route to being the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024. He had 7½ sacks last season, along with three forced fumbles.
“I think that this will allow him to do one thing and that is run off the ball, run into a dark room and disrupt. I mean, he’s gonna fit us like a glove,” Monken said. "I see his track ascending. I just see a world of upside by the way he’s wired.”
The Browns got Verse and three draft picks — a 2027 first-rounder, a second-round pick in 2028 and 2029 third-round selection — for Garrett, who set the NFL single-season record in sacks last year with 23. Browns general manager Andrew Berry said on Tuesday that any trade involving Garrett had to include a young premium player on a team-friendly contract
Verse, the 19th overall pick in the 2024 draft, is on the third year of his rookie contract. The Browns can exercise the fifth-year option on Verse’s contract next year or negotiate a long-term extension.
Verse was disappointed for a couple of hours when he was informed about the trade, until he learned that he was the key piece in the blockbuster deal that allowed the Browns to trade the two-time AP Defensive Player of the Year to the Rams.
“To know that this wasn’t going to go through if I wasn’t a part of it, it’s good to know that,” Verse said. "That was probably the biggest fact that brought some sunshine into this whole situation for me, I saw that, I was like, ‘Yeah, they want me.’ It was cool to know that.”
Defensive end Alex Wright thought the news of Garrett's trade was fake until he started getting news notifications on his phone.
Wright, who was sitting on his back patio of his house Monday afternoon, then had the same response of many Browns' fans.
“It was like, ‘yeah, let me go get a drink right quick,’” Wright said.
About the only one who wasn't fazed by the trade news was linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who was on the golf course at the Browns Foundation tournament.
“I was kind of trying to figure out how to fix my slice the whole time. That was at the forefront of my mind. Every hole it was there,” he said.
Verse spent plenty of time with Wright as the two worked on pass rush moves. Even though he is still getting up to speed, Verse has seen enough early signs to think he can fit right in.
“This is an attacking front. That’s kind of my style. I’ll be attacking. I want to get to it. I want to have a defined situation, just be able to do my thing every time without having to think too much or without having to slow down and read keys," Verse said.
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