​BEREA, Ohio — Jared Verse watches Myles Garrett’s film.But the Cleveland Browns edge rusher whom the Los Angeles Rams dealt as part of a trade for Garrett is not trying to pretend he’s Garrett. Verse was not the 2017 first overall pick of the NFL Draft and he is not the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.He’s Jared Verse. And he thinks that’s going to make a difference in Cleveland.”I’ve told a thousand people, I’m not here to replace Myles,” Verse told Yahoo Sports in a Thursday sit-down interview. “That’s not my job. It’s not my description. When I signed any contract, that’s not part of anything I signed.”My job is to be the best me.”Play Yahoo’s new College Fantasy Football game: Create or join a league now!Verse shares this party line with confidence and a sense of calm that bely how he felt on June 1, when the Rams told him that he was part of a blockbuster trade for Garrett. The Rams’ haul: Garrett. The Browns’: Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third.Verse was gutted. His body felt light as he heard the news.”There’s a few moments in your life that genuinely sculpt you into who you are as a person,” Verse said. “And I genuinely don’t want to overemphasize it. I mean, obviously I’m still alive today [and] it’s not the end of the world.”But as Verse processed leaving his teammates, his community, his chance at imminent Super Bowl contention, he couldn’t imagine his career elsewhere.”Getting that news, in a way, it kind of broke me and made me really sad,” Verse said of leaving the foundation he’d built. “It sucked. It was a terrible feeling. But right after they told me, I locked back in.”Jared Verse (8) shares a moment at training camp with teammate Alex Wright. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)Nick Cammett via Getty ImagesVersed asked Rams head coach Sean McVay if he could break the news to his teammates directly and amid OTAs, a team meeting was assembled.In the two months since, Verse has built back up.Through reading and journaling, lifting and attending a cross-league pass rush summit, Verse has dialed into the habits that most make him him. That extends to trash-talking at practice, a trademark habit that once triggered McVay interrupting practice to chastise a rookie Verse.And that extends to going out of his way to help his teammates — most often helping the victims of his trash talk. “If I beat you, you’re going to know about it,” Verse says. “And then you’re going to receive advice.”Take the ninth overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, offensive tackle Spencer Fano.After Verse beat Fano on an up-and-under move in team work this week, Verse stayed after practice to explain to Fano he had set too far to Verse’s outside shoulder.Verse walked Fano through a half-speed drill, guiding him on how to use more inside leverage and athleticism against speedy rushers. After five or six reps, Verse says, Fano felt good.”I’m like, ‘Hey, man, you’re a very athletic tackle,'” Verse recalled. “‘When