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Jared Verse #8 of the Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns can’t argue they got the best player via their trade of Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in return for Jared Verse and three strong draft picks — but with time, Cleveland may be able to prove it is a better overall team.

It will be difficult for that result to arrive in Year 1, as a big part of the equation will be the talent the Browns — probably the NFL team that has drafted best over the past two years combined — can acquire with the first-, second- and third-round picks they have in consecutive years between 2027-29, respectively.

However, while Garrett was a one-man wrecking crew across his time in Northeast Ohio, Verse is the type of player and personality who can help the defense become greater than the sum of its parts.

Such was the assessment of Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on Thursday, June 18, as informed by several members of the organization.

While Garrett was respected and revered by his teammates, he wasn’t necessarily universally loved. And while he evolved as a leader over the years, he wasn’t the great unifier the Browns always hoped he’d be, often keeping to his tight inner circle away from team headquarters.

Early indications are that Verse, who came to town with a wide smile, a big heart and open arms, will be more of a force multiplier and unifier than Garrett, who’s not as gregarious as Verse, the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Jared Verse not Myles Garrett, but Already Among Best Edge Defenders in NFL

Verse is no slouch on the field, either. So while he is almost certain to represent a step back from Garrett in terms of individual impact, he is an ascending player who has already established himself as one of the best edge defenders in the NFL just two years into his career.

Verse tallied 11 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks last season, which are solid numbers but won’t blow anyone away. However, a closer look at his ability to pressure QBs explains why Pro Football Focus ranked Verse the No. 11 edge defender in 2025 out of 115 players who saw enough snaps to qualify at the position.

Verse finished with 80 total pressures, which ranked sixth. He was also sixth in QB hurries with 52 of them and second in overall hits, tallying 20. Verse posted a run stop win rate of 35 percent, which included 81 stops on 233 snaps, a mark that was second to only Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders, per ESPN.

Jared Verse Won’t Try to Fill Myles Garrett’s Shoes, Focused on Making Teammates Better

GettyEdge-rusher Jared Verse of the Cleveland Browns

Verse is also rooted in his identity as a player and shared strong feelings about that upon his arrival in Cleveland.

“I’m not here to fill [Myles Garrett’s] shoes, I’m here to bring my own,” Verse said on June 3, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. “I’m here to be the best version of me, and the best version of me is gonna be the best defensive player in the league.”

Verse also expressly stated his intention/desire to play well enough to make his teammates better.

“The great thing about (Verse) is, I asked him, ‘Hey, what do you expect out of this? What do you want to do here?’” Browns D-line coach Jacques Cesaire explained last week. “And the first thing he said is, ‘I want to make sure that I play so hard that everyone around me eats.'”