The Browns have spent the early part of this season trying to figure out exactly what they have on the edge with Jared Verse, and the answer is nowhere near the splash they expected.
Cleveland brought Verse in as the key piece of the Myles Garrett trade, pairing him with a handful of draft picks after dealing Garrett to the Rams. The Browns reportedly wouldn’t move on without Verse included, and the Rams agreed. At the time, it looked like Cleveland had landed a younger, high-upside pass rusher who could keep the pressure coming without missing a beat.
Instead, five games into 2026, the production simply isn’t there.
Verse has started all five games, but he still hasn’t recorded a sack. His line so far reads like this: 13 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 0 fumble recoveries, 0 forced fumbles, 4 QB hits, 0 batted passes, 0 sacks, 2 knockdowns, 0 hurries, 2 pressures, and 3 missed tackles. For a player brought in to help define the pass rush, that is a rough opening stretch.
The Browns, as a defense, have done enough in other areas to stay afloat. They rank 20th overall, allowing 334 yards per game, while sitting 13th against the pass and 19th against the run.
They also have the fourth-most sacks in the league with 16. But Verse has been the noticeable absence in that category.
That’s what makes this so jarring. Verse arrived with real credentials.
He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons, and as a rookie he won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after posting 4.5 sacks, 18 QB hits, 33 pressures, and 66 total tackles. Last year, he added 7.5 sacks and 36 pressures.
This year, the edge production has gone flat.
There are at least a few numbers that suggest he’s not a complete non-factor. Pro Football Focus gives him a 67.3 run defense grade and ranks him 35th among qualified edge rushers.
He has three tackles for loss, and he’s been involved on 224 snaps, which is 66% of Cleveland’s defensive reps. But the pass rush is where the concern lives, and it’s hard to overlook a zero in the sack column after five starts.
Even his backup has been more productive in some spots. Sam Williams has played 120 snaps, or 35% of defensive plays, and he has more tackles with 15, one sack, one batted pass, and the same totals as Verse in tackles for loss, pressures, and missed tackles.
There’s also the scheme shift to consider. Verse played outside linebacker in a 3-4 with the Rams, but in Cleveland he’s being used as a 4-3 defensive end. Defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg pushed back on the idea that Verse’s impact should be measured only by sack numbers, making his case after the Jets game:
“First of all, I think (Verse) is doing a great job. When you look at games, everybody is looking for the ‘ooh’ and the ‘wow’ play.
That’s not what defense is. Defense is about violence, violence, chaos, disruption, and getting the ball.
And it’s 11 dudes hunting on defense. And he’s hunting on defense.
And somebody might ‘ooh’ and ‘ah, a great pick, but go watch the tape. Jared Verse might be disrupting the quarterback on that play.
I’m going to go back to the Tampa Bay game where he chased it down from the backside. That’s what defense is about.
It’s creating chaos and disruption, and he’s doing that.”
The Browns can say, with some truth, that defense is collective work. One player’s pressure can set up another player’s finish.
That may be helping Maliek Collins, who has 2.5 sacks from the defensive tackle spot on Verse’s side. But Verse’s job description is still pretty plain on obvious passing downs: get after the quarterback.
So far, that part hasn’t shown up.
His game-by-game line tells the story in pieces: Jaguars, 4 tackles and no sacks or QB hits; Buccaneers, 1 tackle and 1 QB hit; Panthers, 3 tackles and 1 QB hit; Steelers, 2 tackles and no QB hits; Jets, 3 tackles and 2 QB hits.
The concern isn’t just the empty sack column. There have also been snaps where he hasn’t contained well enough, and opponents have cashed in because nobody was there to clean it up.
That’s part of why this feels bigger than one bad stat line. The Browns expected Verse to bring consistent edge disruption.
Instead, through five games, they’re still waiting for it to arrive.
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