CLE DE EAGER TO ESTABLISH STANDARD: 'JARED VERSE DEFENSE'JARED VERSE EAGER TO ESTABLISH STANDARD WITH BROWNS AFTER STUNNING TRADE: 'JARED VERSE DEFENSE'

Jared Verse’s immediate reaction to the trade that sent him and draft picks to Cleveland for Myles Garrett was pain. However, he quickly flipped his demeanor.

Joining NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Wednesday, Verse said that after the initial shock wore off, he became excited to be a part of what Todd Monken and the Browns are building.

"I'd be lying to y'all if I say it didn't hurt, if it didn't bother me,” he said of the trade. “You build relationships with people, you build a routine, then you start getting close, you start imagining your whole career in one place, and then you don't get a warning; it just kind of pops up on you one day, and you just gotta swallow it. It's a big pill you gotta swallow, like, all right, it changes everything.

"But once I got to Cleveland, I met the coaches, I met my teammates, I met the staff, I saw the vision that they not only have for me, but for the whole team, I started getting excited, I started getting hyped up. I was like, man, forget this offseason, this little camp, preseason -- let's get right to the season so we could start right now."

Verse is an excellent, ascending young player. Coming off a 7.5-sack season, he’s no Garrett, but his raw power and ability to disrupt the backfield is as good as any greenhorn pass rusher.

Somewhat overshadowed in L.A., with a move to the Midwest, Verse is set on making a name for himself in his own defense.

"The Cleveland Browns defense has always been known as aggressive, attacking, really getting after you, really getting in your face, being mental,” Verse said. “I'm just here to add to that. You've got Alex Wright out there, you've got Mike Hall, you've got all these dominant defensive players, not even just to mention Carson (Schwesinger) and Q (Quincy Williams). You've got all these dudes all over the defense that are very aggressive.

"I'm here just to add my own little flavor. I'm here to get in your face. I'm here to be a little bit more aggressive. I'm here to just have that statement: That's Jared Verse defense. I want that to be the standard of defense across the nation. That's Jared Verse defense. That old-school defense where you got to get nitty-gritty and you're gonna really have to earn every yard that we play, everything you get."

If Verse can continue to ascend and help replace Garrett’s production, the Browns can continue to employ a good defense. If the offense ever catches up, Cleveland might finally have something that can last.