The Cleveland Browns are still looking for pass-rush help after the Myles Garrett trade, and Ron Stone Jr. is getting a look.
Stone was among seven Columbus Aviators players to work out for NFL teams after the UFL season. The Aviators announced that Stone worked out for the Browns after finishing first on the team and tied for fifth in the UFL with 5.5 sacks. He also added 32 tackles and five tackles for loss.
Stone, 26, gives Cleveland another potential depth option off the edge. The 6-foot-3, 257-pound defensive end played his college ball at Washington State, where he finished with 202 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 16 sacks and five forced fumbles. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2021, a second-team pick in 2022 and honorable mention in 2023.
Stone signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent before the 2024 season but did not stick. He later landed in the UFL and put together a productive season with Columbus.
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Stone also comes from an NFL family. His father, Ron Stone Sr., played 13 seasons in the NFL. He suited up for four teams and won two Super Bowls.
Browns Still Searching for Pass-Rush Help After Myles Garrett Trade
Garrett’s departure changed the entire makeup of Cleveland’s defense. The Browns traded Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams on June 1 in exchange for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick. Garrett left as the franchise’s all-time sack leader with 125.5 sacks and the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Verse is the new centerpiece but Alex Wright is also expected to play a major role after signing a three-year extension last November. Wright is now the longest-tenured defensive lineman on the roster and is coming off his best season, posting 37 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits in 14 games.
“Somebody gotta take control, like somebody has to take charge,” Wright said. “So, just trying to step into that role. It just don’t have to be me, it could be all of us. But I’m taking on that ownership, that just because he’s gone, that doesn’t mean the standard that he set since he’s been here, since he was a rookie, is going to change. We are all still going to work and be a top defense, we’re still going to just work our butts off.”
The Browns finished fourth in the NFL in total defense last season, allowing 283.6 yards per game.
Jared Verse Not Trying to Fill Myles Garrett’s Shoes
Verse was not a throw-in piece in the Garrett trade. He was the reason the Browns were willing to make the move. Browns general manager Andrew Berry said the team needed short- and long-term value, premium draft capital and a young, cost-controlled player at a premium position to even consider moving Garrett. Verse checked that box.
“Jared Verse, he’s obviously a huge part of this return for us,” Berry said after the trade. “Jared is an outstanding football player, former Defensive Rookie of the Year, two-time original ballot Pro Bowler. He’s a perfect DNA match for our attacking front. He’s really a terror in both phases as a run defender and a pass rusher. And we are really, really excited to add him to our team.”
Verse had 124 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over his first two NFL seasons — both Pro Bowl campaigns. Verse knows the Garrett comparisons will follow him. He also made it clear he is not trying to be a replica.
“I’m not here to fill his shoes,” Verse said. “That’s not my job. That’s not in my description in any organization I go to, that’s not my job. My job is to be the best me. If I’m the best me, I’m not going to be Myles Garrett. … I’m going to be the best Jared, and that’s going to be the best player in the league.”
Verse and the Browns are on break for the summer before they return for training camp in late July.
Browns Eyeing Former All-Conference Pass-Rusher After Myles Garrett Trade