Browns Defensive Line Begins Life After Myles Garrett

The Cleveland Browns traded future Hall of Fame EDGE rusher Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams during the offseason, but the return wasn’t terrible. Jared Verse is a tremendous, younger defensive force who was just coming into his own in Southern California. He gives the team a tremendous building block for the future.

It’s been a week now since the 53-man roster was announced, and while the defensive roster has a slightly different look than our 53-man defensive projections, we weren’t that far off. Plus, there is no way to account for potential waiver wire claims, etc. This unit will miss Garrett, of course. However, there is plenty of talent on the defensive line.

Jared Verse Heads up Versatile, Young Defensive Line

The team acquired Verse from the Rams in June 2026 for Garrett, obviously, while also securing a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, a second-pick in 2028, and a third-round selection in 2029.

Verse comes with accolades, as he was the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year after posting 66 total stops, including 36 solo tackles, and 4.5 solo tackles with two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, while posting two passes defensed. He has been durable in two NFL seasons, too, playing all 17 games both years.

Last season, he was just as good, posting 58 total stops, including 35 solo tackles, but he bumped up his sack total to 7.5, while forcing three fumbles. It’s not unreasonable to expect he approach double digits in sacks in his first season along the shores of Lake Erie.

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