Jared Verse walked into golden opportunity Rams could never give him

Former Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse might not be thrilled about his Super Bowl chances in Cleveland. He went from a roster that, even before the Myles Garrett trade, was the favorite to win it all. Now the Rams have put some space between themselves and the rest of the pack. 

The Browns, meanwhile,  have won eight games in two years and, by Vegas odds, are projected to go 6-11 this season. The franchise is one of four in the league without a Super Bowl appearance to its name. 

Verse will, however, have an individual opportunity he never did in Los Angeles. With Garrett gone, the runway is clear for the former Horns first-rounder to emerge as the No. 1 pass rusher on the team. He won't be playing second fiddle any longer.

Verse can come to define Cleveland's defense 

The 25-year-old outside linebacker does more than just generate sacks. Verse won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 despite a superficially unastounding stat line. He followed up on his 4.5 sacks that season with 7.5 in Year 2. Byron Young paced the team with 12 of his own, establishing himself as lead dog in the chase. 

Even two years ago, when the Rams lacked a double-digit sack artist, a rookie Verse faced plenty of competition in the race to the quarterback. Braden Fiske, his former Florida State teammate, led the team with 8.5 QB takedowns. Defensive tackle Kobie Turner followed with eight. Young added 7.5. While no one separated from the pack, the pass-rushing corps had many mouths to feed. 

That won't be the case in Cleveland. Garrett did all the heavy lifting last season and ate up the lion's share of opportunities, but he also made life easier for everyone else. Few teammates joined the party, anyway. DT Maliek Collins finished with a career-best 6.5 sacks. Defensive end Alex Wright put up a personal-best 5.5. 

Verse should be the easy favorite to pace the field. While he didn't always finish the job, pressuring the passer is his specialty. Per Pro Football Focus, Verse ranked fourth among all edge defenders with 80 total pressures last season. Leading the way on the Browns' defensive front, he should convert some of those chances into sacks. 

Already a two-time Pro Bowler, Verse harbors the self-belief to take his game to the next level. He made that much clear at his first Browns practice. 

"I'm not here to fill his shoes," Verse said of Garrett. "That's not my job. My job is to be the best me. … I'm here to be the best Jared, and that's going to be the best player in the league."

While no one expects Verse to steal Garrett's title, he will have an opportunity to dominate the defense in a way that couldn't have happened in Los Angeles, where he was likely to remain the No. 2 or No. 3 pass rusher behind Young and possibly Turner, who has 24 sacks in three NFL seasons.  

Better yet, the Dayton, Ohio, native will have the chance to do so in his home state. Rams fans wish him the absolute best of luck. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow