The Cleveland Browns allowed 34 points in their embarrassing season-opening loss to the Jaguars, a game that remains the primary driver of the team’s eye-opening NFL point differential–the Browns are a minus-13 despite being 5-2. Since that game, the Cleveland defense has allowed 112 points in six games, just 18.9 per outing. In their one loss in that stretch, the Browns allowed 17 points to the Jets, seven of which came after a botched punt late in the fourth quarter allowed New York to start on the Browns’ 23-yard line. All of this is to say that the Browns defense has done well, despite getting little from edge rusher Jared Verse.
Now, the Browns would dispute that and suggest that Verse is having an impact and drawing double teams. But the numbers are what they are: Verse has zero sacks this season, and just 12 pressures. He had 12 sacks in 34 games in his two seasons with the Rams, and averaged 5.6 pressures per game. He is averaging 1.7 pressures per game this year.
Jared Verse Worth $28 Million?
At the Orange Brown Report, analyst Jack Duffin writes of the Browns’ edge: “He isn’t currently playing close to the level he was producing with the Rams, but let us look at the drop off.” He then highlights the fall in pressure rate, from 16.0% to 6.6%.
And Duffin points out that the Browns are caught in a bit of a contract glitch with Verse. He was first round pick, which means he is eligible for a fifth-year option that the Browns can pick up after this season. He was a Pro Bowler in each of his first two seasons with the Rams, though, and under NFL rules, he is eligible for a top-line option based on the franchise tag. That’s $28 million.
Browns Would Face Tough Decision
That would be a lot of money for the Browns to pick up for a player who has not found his way in this defense. If Verse changes course and starts putting up the pressure and sack numbers most expected from him–if he gets back to the player he was with the Rams over the final 10 games of 2026, it becomes an easier decision for Cleveland.
If he doesn’t, though, the Browns will have a choice. They can decline the option, which would be sensible, but sends the message that the main, tangible piece the team picked up in the Myles Garrett trade was a failure. It could also cause tension with Verse.
He probably would not have a leg to stand on given his current production, but Verse could hold out or hold in while seeking an extension. NFL players do not like playing out the final season of their contracts with nothing behind it, and that’s the situation the Browns and Verse would be in. Either way, if Verse does not start looking like himself soon, this will be a tricky situation for the Browns.
Browns Face $28 Million Decision on Star Despite ‘Drop Off’