New Cleveland Browns pass rusher Jared Verse may not have a sack just yet, but he is consistently making impactful plays and has been a stabilizing presence on this defense. Nobody expects him to replace Myles Garrett, but he is doing his job and is a significant reason why Cleveland’s defense hasn’t missed a beat without Garrett.
His consistency and availability have been some of his best traits since entering the NFL and are a stark contrast to the man he was traded for, since Garrett hasn’t played yet this year. Unfortunately, he is a little banged up coming out of last week’s game against the Tennessee Titans, though head coach Todd Monken doesn’t sound too concerned.
Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot recently shared that Monken doesn’t believe Verse is in danger of missing Sunday’s massive game against the Pittsburgh Steelers despite missing Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury.
“#Browns Todd Monken said he doesn’t anticipate Jared Verse, who won’t practice today with a knee injury, missing the #Steelers game. He said there’s some swelling in there and they just want to rest it,” Cabot said.
#Browns Todd Monken said he doesn't anticipate Jared Verse, who won't practice today with a knee injury, missing the #Steelers game. He said there's some swelling in there and they just want to rest it.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 28, 2026
The swelling is a bit of a concern, especially with the Browns still having two more games after this Steelers matchup before their bye week. Verse hasn’t missed a game in his three-year career, so surely he would love to keep that streak going, but the swelling makes you wonder if it’s in his best interest to sit out a game soon, perhaps in Week 10 against the Houston Texans just before the bye to potentially give him around three weeks off.
We’re nearing the middle of the season, so these types of injuries will unfortunately come with the territory, but it’s hard to envision Verse missing a game this big unless this knee issue is worse than expected. He was a big part of the reason why this defense was able to hold up against Pittsburgh in the victory a few weeks ago, and his teammates are going to need him out there again on Sunday.
Keep an eye out for updates on this as the rest of the week of practice unfolds.
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