Jared Verse is being looked at as the replacement for Myles Garrett on the Cleveland Browns’ defense. Though that burden may be unfair, Verse seems willing to do his best to live up to it.
The young edge rusher is highly unlikely to replicate all of the record-breaking 23.0 sacks that Garrett posted last season. Arriving in the trade that sent the All-Pro defensive end to the Los Angeles Rams, Verse has just 12.0 sacks in his first two NFL seasons.
But the 25-year-old plans to bring more to the defense than that, as Verse recently revealed that he’s on hand to add his “own little flavor” to the Browns’ aggressive and attacking unit.
“The Cleveland Browns defense has always been known as aggressive, attacking, really getting after you, really getting in your face, being mental. I’m just here to add to that. You’ve got Alex Wright out there, you’ve got Mike Hall, you’ve got all these dominant defensive players, not even just to mention Carson [Schwesinger] and Q (Quincy Williams). You’ve got all these dudes all over the defense that are very aggressive. I’m here just to add my own little flavor. I’m here to get in your face. I’m here to be a little bit more aggressive. I’m here to just have that statement: That’s Jared Verse defense. I want that to be the standard of defense across the nation. That’s Jared Verse defense. That old-school defense where you got to get nitty-gritty and you’re gonna really have to earn every yard that we play, everything you get,” Verse said.
It would be almost impossible for Verse to statistically replace Garrett, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who is one of the best pass rushers of his generation and is ranked No. 1 at the position by ESPN heading into the season. Verse is an honorable mention choice on that list, with plenty of room to grow into an even better player.
His pass-rush metrics rank among the best in the league, including Garrett’s, but those pressures have not resulted in a corresponding high volume of sacks. But in 34 career games, he has 124 combined tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 45 quarterback hits, and five forced fumbles.
Verse has also brought a new energy and leadership to the Browns’ defense that may have been lacking under Garrett. There are reports that Cleveland’s pass rushers may have had an issue last season, deferring to Garrett as he pursued the sacks record.
That should not be the case with Verse. As the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, he will team up with Schwesinger, last season’s winner of the award, to give the Browns a historically rare combination this season. No other NFL team has ever had back-to-back winners on the roster to start a campaign.
With Wright coming off a career high in sacks and Hall looking to step up, Verse’s presence should help the Browns remain one of the top defenses in the NFL this season.
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