09/11/26 10:37:00
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09/11 10:36 CDT A new team, a new pass-rush bag: Jared Verse's Browns debut
arrives in Jacksonville
A new team, a new pass-rush bag: Jared Verse's Browns debut arrives in
Jacksonville
By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer
BEREA, Ohio (AP) --- Jared Verse has earned plenty of accolades, including
becoming the 16th player to win AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and making
two Pro Bowl trips in his first two seasons.
But after being traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Cleveland Browns in the
blockbuster Myles Garrett deal, Verse has different goals heading into his
third season.
"I don't have anything in my mind going like, ?Oh, I want to win this, I want
to do that.' I'm just focused on 1-0," Verse said as the Browns prepare for
Sunday's season opener at Jacksonville. "There have been too many times in my
career I've been focused on what I can do and how to get to a position at the
end of the season to be proud of."
Verse led the Rams with 67 quarterback pressures last season and was second
with 7 1/2 sacks. He has generated 143 pressures the past two seasons, tied for
fifth-most in the league.
The Browns are hoping Verse can turn those pressures into more sacks.
"A lot of pressures, at least for me, come from bull rush. I bull rush him all
the way to the quarterback, then I might end up giving a sack to somebody else.
You need to work off your move and can't get too connected to one thing," Verse
said.
Verse got a crash course in the defense after arriving in Cleveland on June 2,
with only two weeks left in the offseason program. In early July, he attended
the Sack Summit in Las Vegas, a yearly gathering of the NFL's top pass rushers
organized by the Raiders' Maxx Crosby, Saints' Cameron Jordan and former
Broncos great Von Miller.
Verse then used training camp and the Aug. 20 joint practice against the Bills
to try out some new moves and techniques, as well as making tweaks to suit his
playing style.
"I wanted to try things I'm not comfortable with, try ghost moves and things I
haven't done in the season," he said. "I tried moves, and they would kill
everyone; I'd be like, ?Alright, boom, I'm adding that to my bag.' I also tried
moves I had no business trying, and I'd be like, ?Alright, let's scrap this one
and leave it to Von Miller or something.' But I've learned a lot and got
exactly where I want to be in my bag now."
Verse also hasn't been afraid to make sure his voice is being heard on the
practice field or in the meeting rooms. Linebacker Quincy Williams was among
many who said Verse has brought plenty of energy to the locker room.
Linebacker Carson Schwesinger is excited to see the impact Verse can have
starting on Sunday. Verse faced the Jaguars last season while with the Rams and
had one sack along with five pressures in Los Angeles' 35-7 Week 7 victory.
"He's strong, he's rocked up and all that, and he can run down your face. He's
rangy, wiry, he's slippery in ways," Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. "He
definitely makes a lot of different things challenging, whether it's in pass
protection or in the run game that you have to have a plan for."
Even though he was on the winning side last season, Verse knows that Jaguars QB
Trevor Lawrence is a dual threat. Lawrence was sixth in the league in passing
yards (4,007) but also was the fourth player in NFL history with at least 25
passing and nine rushing touchdowns in a single season.
"He can go back there, and he can dot you up all day, but he can also run the
ball around you if you give him those gaps of the seams," Verse said about
Lawrence. "We're not going to rush scared because you can't do that with
anybody. If you rush scared, he's just going to be back there dotting you up
the whole time. We're going to get after him."
The Browns were fourth in the league in total defense last season, but have had
significant changes. Besides the Garrett trade, Mike Rutenberg has taken over
as coordinator after Jim Schwartz resigned.
"He's such a unique guy. He's really like a unicorn in that he sets a standard
with his play style and who he is," Rutenberg said. "Really, what we saw early
is what we continue to get. He sets that standard from the jump, in meetings,
great questions, great insight."
Even though Verse was traded from a Super Bowl contender to a team many expect
to pick in the top 10 of the NFL Draft again, he doesn't seem daunted by the
change.
"Respect is a thing that you can't just get. No one just hands you respect. You
have to earn that every week," he said. "Every Sunday is the biggest thing. And
going out of this game 1-0 would give us the most respect we can possibly get."
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