Bills LT Dion Dawkins talks about 'gladiator battles' with Jared Verse
· Yahoo Sports
BEREA ― Browns fans who are still missing Myles Garrett some two-and-a-half months since the June trade sent him to Los Angeles Rams, just know this. You have someone to commiserate with in Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins.
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Sort of. Maybe?
"I'm sad too," Dawkins said following the Aug. 20 joint practice with the Browns. "I'm sad too, man, because Myles is over there in LA and we got to see him. Week what, 5 or 6. So wish Myles was here."
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Although the guy the Browns received from the Rams in exchange for the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year isn't exactly someone Dawkins would say he's thrilled to go against. Jared Verse, also a defensive end, is a 25-year-old who already has two Pro Bowl appearances and was 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Well, that might not be true. It's really all about the perspective you want to take to the word "thrilled."
In fact, you might say that Dawkins' eyes lit up at the sight of Verse. On a day players and coaches fed lines about getting better, the former 2017 second-round pick out of Temple University knew both he and his Browns counterpart were about to do just that.
"You guys got to watch," Dawkins said. "Verse understands where Dion is, and I give him 100% as well as he does. It's a gladiator battle. We are two good players. We're too good of players to not give each other our top rep ability. And I wish I could practice against Verse every single day because we would get so much better. And my guys are just as good and better. But Verse, he's a great player. And understanding that he's coming and moving and pulling, it's a cool thing."
The two have only met once before in a regular-season game. That was in Week 14 of Verse's rookie season in 2024, a 44-42 Rams win in which he had just two combined tackles in 45 snaps.
That's not what Verse remembers the most about the matchup. He mostly remembers Dawkins, and the lesson of a player who won't stop running his mouth.
Then again, Verse is not one to stop running his mouth either. And that's exactly how that meeting is mostlty remembered by Verse two years later.
"I mean, my rookie year, me and him, we played each other and it was a good game," Verse said Aug. 17. "We had gotten each other's heads. It was loud and violent. It got to the point that we were making dumb errors on both sides. I'm jumping offsides. He's false starting because we just head to that point. So it's going to be good to go up against him and see how much I've sharpened my soul."
Both of them have also sharpened their tongues. Or, a better way to say it is that the older player helped the younger one sharpen his tongue, as if Verse really needed much help.
The talking continued from about the moment they walked onto the field in Berea for the joint practice. That was something Dawkins knew was coming from both of them even before the Bills' buses rolled up to the facility.
"All day," Dawkins said. "Talking like talk. I like the chirp. I be like (imitates a bird chirping). I'm like, 'Yeah, Verse, get up, get up.' And he'd be, 'Ah, bull rush me. All right. All right, good ride.' A little tap. Next rep, come on. But ball is fun, yo. A ball is fun. So I like to have fun. I'm a guy. I'm just a guy. Blessed to be here."
The talk is fun for both. The work is even better, even if it's maybe not fun in the moment.
It's why the 32-year-old takes such joy out of getting a chance, albeit on limited occasions, to face Verse.
"Yeah in this league, but you go through ups and flows and then you meet people that match your energy, right?," Dawkins said. "And I'm one of those that I'm going to bring it. And Verse is one of those that he is going to bring it. And I appreciate it and he's one of those and he brings it. And being able to come out here and practice and practice against him where I know I can try some things because he's really not going to hit (Bills quarterback) Josh (Allen). It feels good.
"I love the kid. He has a bright future as he keeps going. His bull rush is insane. So talk about that. His bull rush is definitely good. He's going to rack up sacks all season long. I'm a Verse fan. I'm a Verse fan and he's been playing well."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Bills LT Dion Dawkins talks about 'gladiator battles' with Jared Verse
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