The Cleveland Browns seemed to have a mild brewing controversy in the aftermath of their trade of Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. Turns out, it may have been much ado about nothing.
Newcomer Jared Verse showed up at practice wearing the No. 8 he wore during his two seasons with the Rams. However, the number still belonged to quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was also wearing it at the Browns’ organized team activities (OTAs).
Gabriel added some fuel to the fire when he said he expected Verse to make an offer for the number, but the edge rusher had not. Though NFL rules allow for duplicate numbers at these offseason workouts, it seemed like something that should have been cleared up without incident. As it turns out, talks must have been going on behind the scenes.
NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo has clarified the controversy over Verse’s jersey number, saying the Browns are simply waiting on the league to sign off on the switch.
“The Jared Verse-Dillon Gabriel jersey situation apparently isn’t a standoff for No. 8. The Browns are waiting for NFL approval for Gabriel to change his number,” Garofolo posted.
From @gmfb: The Jared Verse-Dillon Gabriel jersey situation apparently isn’t a standoff for No. 8. The #Browns are waiting for NFL approval for Gabriel to change his number. pic.twitter.com/9HFoBOCzLz
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 5, 2026
Gabriel wore No. 8 as a rookie with the Browns after it was his number in college at both Oregon and Oklahoma. Verse wore No. 5 at Florida State before changing it when he arrived in the NFL in 2024.
Garrett wore No. 95 in his nine seasons with Cleveland. He was able to get that number in Los Angeles by purchasing it from new teammate Poona Ford. It is unknown if that has been approved by the NFL, which, according to Garafolo, looks to address concerns over buying out previous merchandise and existing inventory that displays former numbers.
It is unknown what, if anything, Verse is giving to Gabriel to get him to surrender his number. The young edge rusher is seen as the long-term replacement for Garrett on the Browns’ highly rated defense, so his jersey is expected to become a popular item when it hits the shelves.
Once that happens, this matter will quickly be forgotten, and Verse and Gabriel can go about their business with their new numerical identities.
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