When the Cleveland Browns made the decision to trade away star defensive end Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, the Browns received a 2027 1st-round pick, a 2028 2nd-round pick, and a 2029 3rd-round pick in terms of draft compensation. The player the Browns got back in the trade was defensive end Jared Verse, the “key” that unlocked the trade.
Going from Garrett to Verse was going to be an obvious downgrade. Garrett will get his gold jacket and maybe a Super Bowl ring when it’s all said and done.
Verse, on the other hand, will probably not get anything close to that. He will probably be a really good player, not an untradeable one who’s going to elevate your team, and he’s not someone who’s going to be the best player on your defensive line.
As someone who has watched Verse closely throughout his career, Verse never stood out as someone who struck fear in other teams. His play never stood out; he was just someone who could get pressure but wouldn’t be much of a threat individually.
Eight games into the season with the Browns, Verse hasn’t been great. He has yet to record a sack; his numbers are down across the board, and he’s done more talking than producing.
People are going to ask, what’s the reason for the drop-off in production? Why hasn’t Verse evolved?
It can be a plethora of things. Let’s start with the obvious one. As a pass rusher, Verse has not evolved. The reason why Garrett became so great is because of how he evolved as a pass rusher. Everyone knows how uber-athletic Garrett is, but what makes him one of the best in the league is his ability to chain moves together. Garrett can beat you in these specific ways:
- Speed/Power
- Speed/Finesse
- Power/Finesse
Verse can only beat you with power. That’s it. He’s not the most agile, and he’s not going to be quick enough to beat you off the line of scrimmage. The bull rush can work, but eventually offensive linemen will pick up on it, and if you can’t find a way to counter it, it makes things difficult. I am not saying he isn’t fast, but he just doesn’t have a quick get-off.
In terms of the lack of sacks, Verse’s issue is struggling to finish sacks, and that was the main issue going back to his tenure with the Rams.
Lack of sacks and not having a counter move in his pass rush has been evident eight games into his Cleveland career. I don’t think the scheme is the issue for why Verse is struggling because he’s played in a 4-3 defense before.
As far as his vocal antics, you can’t change someone who is a trash talker. If someone is going to talk trash, they have to back it up. The problem with Verse is he talks trash but doesn’t back it up. Again, I hate beating a dead horse here, but Garrett didn’t have to talk at all. He knew he was great and his play backed it up. Verse talks like he’s great, but he’s lying to himself at this point.
Fans wouldn’t have an issue with the trash talk if he backed it up, but he isn’t doing that on the field.
At some point, he has to have some self-awareness and understand he’s putting a target on himself and his team’s back every time he opens his mouth. I understand he wants to change how things are from a culture perspective, but sometimes you can say things and not say them in a way that will be bulletin board material.
At this point, it’s fair to ask if the Browns will pick up his 5th-year option at the end of the season. The team won’t trade him because his value isn’t necessarily high at the moment, but at the same time he’s not going to get an extension if his play continues like this. Verse hasn’t reached bust territory.
Fans are going to ask if the Browns were better off getting more draft compensation in the Garrett trade instead of getting less than that and a player. At the end of the day, the Browns wanted Verse, and he’s here, but the reality is he hasn’t produced, and it’s fair to question whether he will be here long term.
Verse is good, but he’s not great, and it’s time that we are honest with ourselves about it. Will the team and player ever be able to have that same honesty?
Do you think we know for certain how good Verse is at this point, or does he still have room to grow from a good to a great player? Do you think the Browns should and will pick up his fifth-year option?
