As the NFL trade deadline draws near, the Browns find themselves in a tricky spot with Jared Verse.
Cleveland is 5-2-0, and the defense has drawn plenty of praise. But the edge rush has not delivered the kind of fast pressure the Browns expected, and Verse sits at the center of that conversation. The deadline comes on November 10, and the market for defensive linemen is already moving after the Indianapolis Colts dealt DE DeForest Buckner back to the San Francisco 49ers and the Tennessee Titans sent star DL Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears.
Verse arrived in the trade that sent Myles Garrett away, with the Browns getting a player who had already been to two Pro Bowls in two seasons and was voted the “NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year” when he entered the league in 2024. The expectation was never that he would replace Garrett outright, but he was supposed to help carry the load.
Instead, the numbers have been rough. Through seven games, Cleveland has 20 sacks as a team, and Verse has none. He had 7.5 sacks last year and 4.5 as a rookie, so the drop-off has been impossible to ignore.
The Browns have tried to make the fit work, but Verse has not looked like the same player he was with the Los Angeles Rams. Last year, he posted 58 tackles, 27 QB hits, and 36 pressures, and he was viewed as a strong run defender with a real knack for getting into the backfield. He was 25 years old and still looked like a rising pass-rush piece.
This season, though, the production has gone flat. Verse has seven starts, 302 defensive snaps, 17 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 5 QB hits, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles, 0 fumble recoveries, 0 batted passes, 0 hurries, 4 knockdowns, 4 pressures, and 3 missed tackles.
His pressure rate has fallen to 6.6%, which ranks 71st among all NFL EDGE rushers. Last season it was 16.8% with the Rams. His Pro Football Focus pass-rushing grade has dropped from 82.2, which ranked 13th, to 59.9, which is 73rd among 113 qualified EDGE defenders.
There are reasons the Browns might point to. Verse came from a 3-4 alignment with the Rams and is now playing in a 4-3.
Offensive tackles have been able to handle his power and bull-rush work, and early in the season teams doubled him because of his reputation before realizing they didn’t need to keep doing it. He also isn’t playing every snap, with his current workload sitting at 66% of the defensive reps.
The Browns have had their own issues on the edge, too. Alex Wright is out for the year after a ruptured Achilles tendon in training camp, and Isaiah McGuire has stepped into that role with Derek Barnett behind him. Verse, meanwhile, has not been getting into the backfield the way Cleveland hoped, and his containment has also been a problem at times.
One part of the picture that does stand out is what’s happening behind him. Sam Williams has played well in a part-time role, even with just 36% of the defensive snaps. In seven games with no starts, he has 20 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 3 QB hits, 0 forced fumbles, 0 fumble recoveries, 1 batted pass, 1 hurry, 2 knockdowns, 4 pressures, and 4 missed tackles.
That leads to the question the Browns have to at least consider: should Verse be available if the right offer comes along?
The trade market for pass rushers is active, and the only other EDGE names rumored to be on the move before the deadline are Los Angeles Chargers EDGE rusher Khalil Mack and Josh Sweat of the Arizona Cardinals. Verse has been a steady producer in previous seasons, but this year he has been more mediocre than disruptive.
There’s also the contract side. Verse is in the third year of a four-year, $15.1 million deal, all guaranteed.
His cap hit this season is $2.2 million, and it rises to $2.9 million next year. After that, the Browns would need to decide on his fifth-year option, which is projected to be a fully guaranteed $27.9 million in 2028 because he qualifies for the top tier as a multi-time Pro Bowler.
For now, Cleveland still has him in the plan. Some around the league have noted that even when Verse isn’t piling up sacks himself, his presence can help create opportunities for other Browns defenders on passing downs. That kind of effect happens all over the NFL, where one rusher draws attention and another loops free on a stunt.
Still, the Browns are waiting for the version of Verse they expected when they made the Garrett trade. Every team wants an EDGE rusher, and Cleveland is no different.
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