New Browns DE Jared Verse not trying to fill Myles Garrett’s shoes, says his are bigger
· Yahoo Sports
As Barry Shuck noted in DE Jared Verse’s profile, the new Cleveland Browns defender will be forever compared to former Browns superstar Myles Garrett. In so many ways, that comparison is unfair to Verse, as Garrett was considered and became a generational player whose value in the trade was Verse and three NFL draft picks, one with a unique clause.
Visit newsbetsport.bond for more information.
While Verse may not be considered a generational player, he was a first-round pick, the Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, and is a two-time Pro Bowler. As GM Andrew Berry noted, Verse was not a replacement Pro Bowler but an initial roster one; he has been that good in his first two seasons.
Speaking to the media after his first practice in Berea, Verse talked about comparisons to Garrett a few times, including a slightly funny comment on shoe size (emphasized in bold):
“Yeah, I mean, you know, I’m not here to fill anyone’s shoes. Myles, he’s a size 13, Nikes, whatever they are. I’m a size, 13 and a half, size 14, Jordans. Like, everybody’s different. I’m not here to fill his shoes. I’m here to bring my own. I’m here to work, and I’m here to be the best version of me. The best version of me is going to be the best defensive player in the league, and the best defensive player of the league is going to play for the best defense in the league. And that’s what I make myself a testament to.”
Verse made it clear that he believes in himself and his abilities:
“Yeah, Myles is a great player. I watch his film every day. I’ve keyed in on a couple things he does, the moves he makes, the technicalities of every small aspect of his game. I very much studied him and to know that you know, I’m not here to fill his shoes. That’s not my job. That’s not in my description in any organization I go to, that’s not my job. 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 also had a lot of positives to say about his first day with the Browns, with a quick belief that the coaching staff has things going in the right direction:
“Yeah, I mean, you can tell how a team is by how they practice. You see losing teams practice terribly. You see great teams practice, amazingly, it translates. That’s not a losing team out there. The way everybody was moving, I didn’t get to get into the team situations today. That’s going to be another day. But the way the boys are moving, this isn’t a losing team. Nobody’s moving around like, they’re slow like, they’re feeling sorry for themselves. People are moving with intent, like, they are not going to miss the opportunity to play in January, to play in February, to play in that big game.”
Cleveland’s roster might have a great problem, according to Verse, with players trying too hard:
“Yeah, I feel great about it. You know, when you go into a younger team in a younger situation, a lot of people are…their heads are all over the place. Some people are talking too much. Some people don’t take this seriously. Don’t take that seriously. That’s not the problem here. Like, the problem here is everybody wants to work too much. Like, ‘hey, slow it down. Hey, let’s figure out the little techniques of this stuff.’ Like, everybody here is like, so focus driven and so wanting to be a best version of themselves. And I think that’s like, that’s such a testament to just the new coaching staff and the new foundation that everyone’s about to lay down.”
You can see all over Verse’s press conference here (skip to the 13:00 mark, team uploaded a long ‘stream starting soon” prior to the start :
What jumps out to you about what Verse had to say on Wednesday?
Share your press conference thoughts in the comment section below
Join the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
- New, improved notifications system!