After the Cleveland Browns traded off EDGE rusher Myles Garrett in the offseason, the fanbase was given a dialogue that his replacement, Jared Verse, could fill in nicely. After all, he had two Pro Bowls in each of his years in the league, plus won the “NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year” award after a very good rookie season.
The narrative was that Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire would hold down the fort on the right side while Verse would wreak havoc on the left.
RELATED: MACK’S CONTRACT, SALARY
CAP HIT
Yet, none of that is happening. The pass rush so far has been very anemic, to say the least, though sacks are not everything. Currently, the Browns rank #23 in overall defense. How can they improve their pass rush?
There are two pass rushers who are rumored to become available before the NFL trade deadline on November 11: Josh Sweat of the Arizona Cardinals and Khalil Mack of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Should Cleveland GM Andrew Berry attempt to bring in a proven pass rusher this season?
Sweat (6’-5”, 265 pounds) was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. When the Eagles’ DC, Jonathan Gannon, became the head coach of the Cardinals, his contract extension expired, and Gannon had his team go after Sweat. The talented defensive end then inked a four-year deal worth up to $76.4 million with $41 million guaranteed.
Sweat, age 29, came through last year with 12 sacks. He also had 17 QB hits, 30 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, I fumble recovery, 2 pass defenses, 4 forced fumbles, 7 knockdowns, 9 hurries, 28 pressures, and zero missed tackles.
He played alongside DT Calais Campbell, who was an excellent pass rusher as well, and had 6.5 sacks, 16 QB hits, and 18 pressures, to go along with other stats. The inside/outside pass duo of Sweat and Campbell worked extremely well for Arizona.
After losing a franchise-record 14 games, the Cardinals fired Gannon. The two men were close. Sweat was placed on the PUP list early due to a knee injury that was never disclosed. He did not practice at all during training camp or play in any of the preseason games. His first action since the final game of the 2025 season was the Week 1 contest against the Chargers.
So far this year, he is a shell of himself. Sweat rarely generates any actual pass rush, although he is going after it every play he is inserted. In 2026, he has just one sack. And that occurred in the last game when the defensive tackle forced the quarterback out of the pocket and into the arms of Sweat. In four games, Sweat has 7 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 QB hits, 5 pressures, 1 knockdown, 3 hurries, and zero missed tackles.
He is being paid $9.78 million this year with a cap hit of $16.4 million.
Mack (6’-3”, 269 pounds) is on his third team with the Chargers. Everywhere he has played, the fanbase acts like they just signed Lawrence Taylor.
He was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, and by his second year in the league, he was destroying every offense he faced. In Mack’s final three seasons with the Raiders, he had sack totals of 15, 11, and 10.5, QB hits of 24, 26, and 22, plus double-digit pressures each year.
The Raiders then traded Mack, now age 35, to the Chicago Bears in 2018 for two first-round picks, a third, and a sixth. In return, Chicago also received a second-round pick, plus a conditional fifth-round pick.
He responded with getting 12.5 sacks in 2018 and 36 during his four years in Chicago. The Bears then traded Mack to the Chargers in 2022 after a foot injury concluded his final year with the Bears. Chicago received a second-round draft pick while Los Angeles received the player plus a sixth-round selection.
In his first game with LA, Mack had three sacks plus a forced fumble. He had a career high in sacks in 2023 with 17 sacks. So far this season, he had three sacks, 14 total tackles, 5 QB hits, and 8 pressures, among other stats.
For his 13-year career, Mack has played in 183 games and started 181, 676 total tackles, 153 tackles for loss, 116 sacks, 13 fumble recoveries, 36 forced fumbles, 43 batted passes, 201 QB hits, 49 knockdowns, 110 hurries, 239 pressures, and 41 missed tackles.
Mack is currently on a one-year $18 million fully guaranteed contract extension.
For the Browns, after four games, the pass rush isn’t what it should be. There may be other pass-rushing defensive ends that could be pried from a team’s roster, but these two are rumored to be on the trading block before the NFL trade deadline.
2026 Browns Defensive End Stats:
Sacks
Isaiah McGuire – 2
Jared Verse – 0
Sam Williams – 1
Derek Barnett – 0
QB hits
Isaiah McGuire – 2
Jared Verse – 2
Sam Williams – 2
Derek Barnett – 2
Knockdowns
Isaiah McGuire – 0
Jared Verse – 2
Sam Williams – 1
Derek Barnett – 2
Hurries
Isaiah McGuire – 2
Jared Verse – 0
Sam Williams – 0
Derek Barnett – 1
Pressures
Isaiah McGuire – 4
Jared Verse – 2
Sam Williams – 2
Derek Barnett – 3
Should the Browns trade for either veteran pass rusher? If so, at what cost?
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