Former Player Hints One Browns Defender Should Be Benched

While almost all of the talk regarding the Cleveland Browns’ starting lineup remains focused on the quarterback, there is another high-profile player whose job may be falling into jeopardy, if it is not there already. Defensive end Jared Verse is halfway through a very disappointing season without a single sack, and with each week that passes, more attention is put on that glaring statistic.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Los Angeles Rams, Verse has looked nothing like that sort of player with the Browns. In fact, undrafted free agent Adin Huntington has 3.5 sacks this season, to go along with 20 combined tackles and nine quarterback hits. Meanwhile, Verse has 15 combined tackles and six quarterback hits, playing 131 more defensive snaps.

That is why former Browns defensive lineman Phil Taylor is hinting that Verse should be benched to give Huntington and others the playing time they have earned.

“If I was Monken, I would call him up to the office and have a sit-down with him, like, ‘We need more out of you.’ I’d get a guy like Huntington in there to make some plays. They’re drooling at the mouth at the opportunity to get out there and play, whereas we got somebody that came in with one of the biggest trades and not producing at all,” Taylor said.

Should the Browns bench Jared Verse? #DawgPound

"I'd get a guy like Huntington in there to make some plays. They're drooling at the mouth at the opportunity to play, whereas we got somebody that came in with one of the biggest trades and isn't producing."

– @PhilTaylor98 pic.twitter.com/fDPv2VfC9I

— BIGPLAY Cleveland (@BIGPLAYcle) November 10, 2026

To make matters worse, Verse has also been a distraction off the field, specifically with his trash talk toward the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, who admitted they used his words as motivation for their 27-6 victory in Week 8. He is also one of Cleveland’s most penalized players, which shows a lack of discipline on his part.

Verse may simply be trying too hard to make an impression, as the organization clearly saw him as the replacement for Myles Garrett in the trade of the All-Pro to the Rams. It also does not help that Garrett had 3.0 sacks in his return from a knee injury on Sunday against the Washington Commanders. In Cleveland’s 23-22 overtime loss to New Orleans, Verse had two assisted tackles.

That lack of production is why the Browns were reportedly looking to acquire an edge rusher prior to the NFL trade deadline that arrived on Tuesday. With no additions made, it will be up to Verse to pick up his game considerably to help the Browns remain in playoff contention.

If not, he may indeed find himself on the bench, as controversial as that move might be.