It’s not that Cleveland Browns edge rusher Jared Verse has been terrible in the early stages of his career with the team. But he’s not lived up to his reputation when he came over from the Rams as the main piece in the Myles Garrett trade–the piece that supposedly convinced GM Andrew Berry to move off of what had been arguably the best player in the NFL. The Browns front has been improving each week, and will be tested now without Mason Graham or Mike Hall.
That means it’s time for Verse, a vocal leader in the locker room, to play like a team leader on the field. In what should be a sloppy, wet slog in New York against the Jets on Sunday, Verse should finally do the one thing he vowed to do more frequently this summer: Get a sack.
Finally a Sack for Browns?
Yes, Verse still is sack-free, four games into the season. But Geno Smith on a wet day might be the perfect target for him to change that. That’s the view from Chris Pokorny of the Dawgs by Nature Browns analysis site. He predicts Verse will break his sack drought.
He writes: “Through four games, Jared Verse has yet to record a sack for the Browns. However, the sacks are coming in other areas, and it’s only a matter of time before Verse gets home. Geno Smith has been sacked 4, 5, and 3 times over the last three games, and Cleveland got to him 10 times last year with the Raiders. With the rain falling too, there might be more coverage sacks, so I like the odds of Verse getting his first as a member of the Browns.”
Jared Verse Vowed to Get to the Quarterback
This would be big for Verse, who came in with a reputation of getting pressures but not converting them into sacks. That’s been the story of his time with the Browns so far this season, and it’s something that, back in training camp, he vowed to change.
Said Verse: “I mean, it’s just finishing. I mean, when you look at the numbers and everything like that, I’m never a big stat guy, big number guy, but to be translucent with it and to talk about the statistics over there, I’m one of the highest pressure rates. But pressures don’t mean anything if you can’t finish. Getting to the quarterback means nothing if you can’t finish. Yeah, it throws him off a little bit and messes with his head, but sacks is what puts them back a little bit. Finishing is just my biggest part.”
Sunday would be a good time to start.
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