The ramifications of the Cleveland Browns‘ blockbuster deal to send star edge Myles Garrett to the Rams on Monday are still settling in, and while there is shock around the Northeast Ohio fan base, imagine how the player the Rams are sending out–Jared Verse–is feeling. He was a budding star on a top-rated defense, one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Now, he is being shipped to the Browns, winners of eight games in the last two seasons.
But Verse gained a reputation as a vocal and positive leader, even in just two seasons with the Rams, and apparently, he is bringing the positivity with him to Cleveland.
Asked on Tuesday about Verse’s reaction to the trade, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said, “He was very excited yesterday when we talked to him on the phone. Heâs, I think, really excited to play in the scheme and I think some of you already know he is from Dayton, Ohio, and his sister is still here and all that. But he is going to be fun, he is a ton of energy. He is going to be some colorful quotes for everybody in this room.”
Jared Verse Wasn’t a Browns Target
Of course, the Browns are not bringing Verse to Cleveland for his entertainment value. Berry said there is no way the deal for Garrett would get done without Verse being included. He has been a Pro Bowl player in each of his two seasons, and has 12.0 sacks in those two years. He was rated No. 14 out of 119 pass-rushers in the NFL last year by Pro Football Focus, and at just 25 years old, he is still getting better.
Verse is not a player that the Browns had been focused on for a lengthy time, but then, there is not too much research required with a player of his caliber.
Said Berry: “We liked him a lot coming out, but we werenât in position to take him the year he came out because he came out in 2024,” Berry said. “That probably had less of a bearing on this transaction. But what made it really easy is he is like, an outstanding player at 25 years old at a very hard to find position. So, yes, weâre excited to have him specifically, but it is not like this was a two-year focal point in the making.”
‘Change Is Commonplace’
Another area to consider is leadership, and how the Browns as a group will react to the level of turnover it’s had this season. Offensively, with Joel Bitonio gone and at least six–and as many as eight–new starters in place, it’s hard to say who will emerge as a leader. Now, with Garrett gone, that role is up for grabs. Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit are still in place, and perhaps Verse, Quincy Williams and Carson Schwesinger take on bigger roles.
Berry said he has trust in the locker room.
“Change is commonplace in the NFL, roster turnover is commonplace in the NFL. We have good communication with all our players,” he said. “Obviously, for a move of this magnitude, we communicate directly with them so they hear from us and they understand everything involved. But we have a good group of guys in that locker room and weâre really excited about the core.”
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