The initial shock of the Cleveland Browns‘ trade sending Myles Garrett west to the LA Rams has settled in, and while some around the team questioned just how good of a return GM Andrew Berry got for arguably the best player in the NFL, others were highly complimentary of the move. And it’s not just because the Browns got a first-round pick in 2027, plus a second-rounder in 2028 and a third-rounder in 2029, It’s because they now have Jared Verse, the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award winner.
Verse is not Garrett, of course. No one is. But he will essentially fill his shoes this season, his third in the NFL. He has been a Pro Bowl player in each of his two seasons, and has 12.0 sacks in those two years. He was rated No. 14 out of 119 pass-rushers in the NFL last year by Pro Football Focus, and at just 25 years old, he is still getting better.
Verse is still learning to tap into his star power. As NFL.com wrote of him, “Verse’s ability to threaten the edge only bolsters his hellish speed-to-power bull-rushing ability to run tackles deep into the pocket. He can play up or down and should be in consideration for all defensive schemes looking to add a safe, high-impact edge.”
Jared Verse a Strong Locker Room Presence
There are multiple reasons to be excited about Verse for Browns fans. Trading Garrett is hard, obviously, but Verse is young and, for now, cheap. He has two years on his rookie deal at $5 million, and a fifth-year option at $22.5 million (though he will likely be extended before then). That should provide the Browns with a bit more roster flexibility.
And Verse is known to have an ebullient personality, and has been been an asset for team chemistry. As one Twitter/X user wrote: “One legit concern over this move… The locker room. It feels like Jared Verse was loved by his teammates. Seeing him moved as a cornerstone guy could be something they have to overcome.”
Browns Jared Verse Trade Makes Business Sense
Taken all together, in fact, Seth Walder of ESPN gave the trade a whopping good grade: He gave the Browns an A, with the Rams getting a C-minus.
Wrote Walder: “While the Rams will pay Garrett $73.2 million over the next two years, Verse will cost $5 million over the same span. Of course, that price is a value for Garrett, and he would absolutely go for more than that on the open market. But in terms of surplus value, the gap for Verse — between what the free agent market would bear and what he’s actually paid — is larger. And yet, the Rams had to deal serious draft capital along with Verse to make this trade.”
Browns Getting a Solid Edge Defender
Even without eye-popping sack numbers in LA, the Browns can look forward to serious production from Verse. It might not be a good idea to bring this up in Cleveland at this moment, but even without sacks, analytically, Verse wins his pass rushes.
Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN brought up some numbers to highlight that. He wrote: “Expected new Browns DE Jared Verse, who was the 2024 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, has 99 pressures since entering the league in 2024. Only Micah Parsons (119) and Myles Garrett (109) have more over that span, per ESPN Research.”
He added that over the past two years, Verse was No. 18 in the league in pressure rate and 13th in quarterback hits.
Again, trading Garrett was always going to be a difficult and unfulfilling process. But Verse’s age, talent and contract situation should ease that pain.
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