7 takeaways from Jared Verse’s first Browns press conference

The Cleveland Browns did the unthinkable this week: Trade the face of the franchise when they shipped off pass rusher Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. The deal included three draft picks plus DE Jared Verse.

Verse is a good player. He isn’t Garrett, but he is three years younger and has accolades of his own.

RELATED: GET TO KNOW JARED VERSE

Now that he is settling into the Northeastern Ohio area, he has had his first press conference as a Cleveland Brown. He said he had a sister who lives in Dayton, where he attended elementary school before growing up in Pennsylvania. Despite being a three-time all-conference player in high school, he had only one college offer. He admitted that he never even watched football on TV until he was a college football athlete.

So, was he a Browns fan growing up after spending some of his childhood in Ohio? He admits he has never had a favorite NFL team.

With Verse now on the Browns, being the 2024 “NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year” recipient, this means Cleveland now has the last two players to win this distinction on their current roster, as linebacker Carson Schwesinger won it for 2025.

Verse has been in the NFL for two seasons and was voted to the Pro Bowl both years. In each season, the Rams went to the playoffs.

In 2024, LA beat the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 and then lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 28-22. Last year, the Rams defeated the Carolina Panthers 34-31 in a tough battle, beat the Chicago Bears 20-17 in overtime, and then succumbed to the Seattle Seahawks 31-27 in the NFC Championship Game. So, Verse has extensive playoff experience.

And something that hasn’t been mentioned much except for in the profile at the link above. Verse participated in three sports in high school. In track, his events were the 100-meter, 200-meter, the 4×100 relays, and the 4×400 relays, in which his school won the state championship.

At the time, Verse was 6’-4”, 254 pounds, and played tight end on offense and defensive end on defense. He was a big dude, but his track events weren’t the shot put or discus like most big guys who participate in track. His events were all for sprinters. Marinate on that a bit.

Here are seven takes from Verse’s first presser

His opinion of going from a 3-4 defense to Cleveland’s 4-3

“This is an attacking front. That’s kind of my style. I want to get to it, and I want to have a defined situation and not have time to think too much, or without having to slow down and read keys. I like it a lot.”

His reaction to being traded from the Rams to the Browns

*“Yeah, it caught me by surprise. I loved LA. I loved the coaches, the organization, my teammates, the staff, the fans, and the whole vibe of LA. It was upsetting. I was upset for a good...