The Cleveland Browns are at a threshold. They can continue their winning ways, or plunder and waste the season. The loss to the New York Jets shows that either they had a bad game or they just aren’t a very good team.
The Jets were a definite “ schedule W” for the Browns, and they are not a good team. The loss could cripple the franchise’s season and could send it into an abyss instead of a continued upward spiral.
RELATED: CAN JARED VERSE ACTIVATE BEAST MODE?
Along this journey, the defense has done
its job in almost every game. Right now, Cleveland’s defense is ranked #20 overall, giving up an average of 334 yards a game. They are ranked #13 versus the pass and #19 against the run.
The Browns have the fourth-most sacks with 16.
One defensive player has so far been omitted from this category: DE Jared Verse.
Cleveland shipped off their best pass rusher when they traded Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. Along with a handful of draft picks, the Browns received Verse. It was stated that the Cleveland GM, Andrew Berry, would not make the trade without Verse included, so the Rams agreed.
Verse came with lots of accolades and a sense of potential. He has been in the league only two years and was voted to the Pro Bowl each season. As a rookie, he won the “NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year” award after gathering 4.5 sacks, 18 QB hits, 33 pressures, and 66 total tackles, among other stats.
Last year, he had 7.5 sacks and 36 pressures. For 2026? Something is off. Right now, Verse has yet to register a sack at all.
He has started all five games, and yet has just 13 total tackles. 2.6 tackles a game on average seems a bit light, given that he has to defend an entire edge. Maybe teams aren’t running his way towards the left flats. Maybe? Pro Football Focus has given him a 67.3 run defense grade and ranked him #35 among qualified edge rushers. So, he is getting the job done when the ball is being carried in his direction. Or at least making the ball carrier turn it upfield before they attempt to sweep outside. He does have three tackles for loss.
But it’s the pass rush, or lack thereof, that is concerning regarding Verse.
He isn’t getting much penetration from his left defensive end position. And it’s not like teams are double-teaming him, although there are plenty of snaps where a tight end will either chip him or remain along the line to assist the right tackle.
Verse’s stats so far this year: five starts, 13 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 0 fumble recoveries, 0 forced fumbles, 4 QB hits, 0 batted passes, 0 sacks, 2 knockdowns, 0 hurries, 2 pressures, and 3 missed tackles.
Perhaps part of his lack of production this year is centered around the fact that he really is considered a part-time player. So far, Verse has played on 224 snaps, which is 66% of all defensive reps.
His backup, Sam Williams, has played on 120 snaps, or 35% of all defensive plays. But Williams has more tackles (15), sacks (1), and batted passes (1), plus the same number of tackles for loss (3), pressures (2), and missed tackles (3).
Verse was the centerpiece of the Garrett trade. He was supposed to come in and get double-digit sack numbers and wreak havoc on opponents when they dropped back to pass. He is younger than Garrett, so the Browns would retain a more youthful, prototypical pass-rushing demon. Yet his run-stopping numbers are pretty good,and his pass-rushing figures stink.
Nobody has asked Verse to become Myles Garrett 2.0, but the expectations were pretty high that he would provide this Cleveland defense with a stiff pass rush. None of that has shown through the first five games. His numbers have plenty to be desired.
His strength was his intensity. But maybe he is trying to do too much. Perhaps being the key pawn in the Garrett sits on him to become great, and that is getting in the way. Focus on his game, and not the game that is expected of him.
Needless to say, Verse is struggling.
Verse’s stats game-by-game:
Tackles/sacks/QB hits
- Jaguars: 4-0-0
- Buccaneers: 1-0-1
- Panthers: 3-0-1
- Steelers: 2-0-0
- Jets: 3-0-2
Now, the flip side is that Verse is perhaps aiding other defensive players. The defensive tackle on Verse’s side, Maliek Collins, has 2.5 sacks. Perhaps Verse helped collapse the pocket so that a quarterback tried to escape and found Collins instead.
That is often how defenses work. A stunt will require one player to become congested with two offensive linemen while his line mate sweeps around with an open lane. Or a blitz is called sending the safety around the edge, and it is Verse’s job to remain engaged with the offensive tackle.
His goose egg in the sack department is concerning. At times, he does not contain, and opposing ball carriers have found large gains and even scored because nobody is home.
Another reason for the abrupt change is that while with the Rams, Verse played an outside linebacker role in a 3-4 scheme and now is asked to attack as a 4-3 defensive end in Cleveland. DC Mike Rutenberg stated that Verse maintained that his overall disruption goes beyond raw sack numbers.
In the postgame press conference after the Jets game, Rutenberg stated regarding Verse:
“First of all, I think (Verse) is doing a great job. When you look at games, everybody is looking for the ‘ooh’ and the ‘wow’ play. That’s not what defense is. Defense is about violence, violence, chaos, disruption, and getting the ball. And it’s 11 dudes hunting on defense. And he’s hunting on defense. And somebody might ‘ooh’ and ‘ah, a great pick, but go watch the tape. Jared Verse might be disrupting the quarterback on that play. I’m going to go back to the Tampa Bay game where he chased it down from the backside. That’s what defense is about. It’s creating chaos and disruption, and he’s doing that.”
Certainly, defense is a team effort. And sometimes one guy has a great play that another player will get the credit for or increase his stats. But Verse is an outside pass rusher. His journey is pretty clear on most plays. On passing downs, he either gets pressure on the other team’s quarterback, or he doesn’t.
It’s not just one thing. It’s not even just about pressure. Collectively, the defense wants to make the quarterback uncomfortable and lessen his time to throw.
The Browns’ entire goal is to place players in the best position and allow their style to come through. And maybe this year is Verse’s time to assist other defensive players in shining. Possibly he is having an off year. Or perhaps he just isn’t getting the job done.
What do you think about Jared Verse’s start with the Browns?
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