Cleveland Browns defensive end Jared Verse had a rough week leading up to Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
After trash talking the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of their Week 8 showdown, Verse and the Browns were dominated, and the defensive end was on the receiving end of an embarrassing play that led to Verse getting frustrated with his teammates for not coming to his defense.
It all amounted to a bunch of noise that Browns fans had grown tired of, especially since Verse hasn’t produced much this season. Fans have been turning on the big-time offseason acquisition, as he hasn’t lived up to expectations. No one was happy to see him at the center of drama.
However, the NFL is fickle. Fans can hate you one moment and love you the next; all it takes is a few timely plays.
On Sunday, against the Saints, Verse was presented with the perfect opportunity to get back in Browns fans’ good graces, but he didn’t capitalize.
Cleveland took a 13-9 lead late in the fourth quarter and gave New Orleans the ball back with 1:48 left in the fourth quarter. The Saints were out of timeouts, so all the Browns needed was a stop to win the game.
That exact scenario is why edge defenders are paid so much, and where they really earn their money. They have the potential to be closers by getting to quarterbacks and ending the game. Verse could have done just that on Sunday, and it would have been the perfect way for him to quiet the noise and restore the promise of his Browns tenure.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t even a factor as the Saints drove down the field to take the lead, and eventually win in overtime.
Jared Verse’s nightmare start for Browns continues in loss to Saints
New Orleans drove 55 yards in six plays to score a go-ahead touchdown, and the first five plays of the drive were all passes. While the obvious passing situation gave Verse and the rest of the pass rushers the opportunity to pin their ears back, Verse didn’t make his presence felt in the slightest.
Forget a possible game-sealing sack; Verse didn’t even heat up the quarterback and make him uncomfortable or force him to get the ball out of his hands. That’s disheartening, because those are the expectations for a pass rusher of Verse’s caliber.
On a few of the plays, it seemed like the Browns were trying to run some unsuccessful stunts, which, to Verse’s defense, would explain why he wasn’t coming hard off the edge. If that was the case, it would still be problematic that Cleveland didn’t have the confidence to just let Verse go get after the QB.
Ultimately, Verse had just two tackles on Sunday (neither of them solo tackles). That means he now has a grand total of 10 tackles and zero sacks on the season. For a two-time Pro Bowler who was the key to making a Myles Garrett trade possible, calling Verse’s first nine games in Cleveland disappointing would be an understatement.
Oh, and Myles Garrett returned to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday for his second game of the season and recorded three sacks in a win over Washington on the road.
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