Head coach Todd Monken said himself that there was plenty of blame to go around following the Cleveland Browns’ dismal 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. That means almost everyone needs to improve in their Week 2 game against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With the possible exceptions of rookie offensive lineman Austin Barber and kick returner Raheim Sanders, no Browns player had an opening game he would want to remember. So, if the Browns have any hope of pulling off a major upset on the road, they need better performances up and down their roster.
Two Browns players who need to step up on Sunday are defensive end Jared Verse and wide receiver Denzel Boston.
Verse did not make an impact in his Browns debut, taking over as their top pass rusher following the offseason trade of Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. Although Verse did have three solo tackles among his four combined stops, he did not do what he was brought here to do, and that is to get to the quarterback.
On 25 dropbacks by Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Verse had zero sacks, zero pressures, zero hurries, and zero quarterback hits. Lawrence posted a career-high passer rating of 150.6, and Jacksonville scored on six of its first seven possessions.
Now, Verse must face off against Buccaneers tackle Tristan Wirfs, who is a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. If he cannot get to quarterback Baker Mayfield, who enters with a revenge blowout on his mind, the Browns’ defense could fare even worse than it did in the opener.
On offense, even though Boston scored the only touchdown for the Browns against the Jaguars, they need much more from the rookie wide receiver, who has fallen off since dominating in minicamps and training camp. His 46-yard TD catch in garbage time showed what he is capable of, and with Deshaun Watson playing to extend his time as Cleveland’s starting QB, Boston needs to become the top target he was expected to be throughout the summer.
Good games by Verse and Boston won’t be enough on their own, but it would go a long way toward the Browns putting forth a much more competitive effort.
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