The Cleveland Browns sent the NFL into shock when they traded Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for three draft picks (2027 first round, 2028 second round, 2029 third round) and defensive end Jared Verse.
While they moved on from one of the franchise's greats, they still landed a young and dominant player in Verse. He arrived in Cleveland this week and spoke with the media. And he wasted no time expressing his excitement about linebacker Carson Schwesinger after his first practice on Wednesday.
"Man, that boy can fly. Nah, he can work. I like that a lot. I like knowing that with that behind me that I can — I don’t got much to worry about. I can play freely because I don’t have to worry if something gets by me. He’s going to be able to handle that. He’s going to be able to clean everything up. So no, that’s the exciting factor there.”
Considering that Verse made this statement after one practice shows his eagerness for the season to roll around and how Schwesinger's talent jumps out.
Jared Verse heaps praise on Carson Schwesinger after first Browns practice
Schwesinger enters the 2026 season as one of Cleveland's best players and has become a young star for this team. As a rookie, he stepped in and started in 16 games. In those outings, he finished with 156 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, nine QB hits, three pass deflections, 18 pressures, and two interceptions.
On Pro Football Focus, he had a 74.4 overall grade, 81.5 run defense grade, 69.9 pass rush grade, and a 61.6 coverage grade. Schwesinger won the 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He's a difference maker for sure at the second level, and Verse already acknowledged that.
Verse won the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, so now the Browns have both players on the same unit. Even though Cleveland lost Garrett, Verse is a great option who could replace him. Over 34 games with the Rams, he had 124 total tackles, 45 QB hits, five forced fumbles, and 12 sacks. Verse has also finished with a whopping 157 total pressures.
He knows how to get into the backfield to wreak havoc and plans to play loose with the Browns. He may be ultra-aggressive at times because he has faith that Schwesinger will slow down anything that gets past him.
As these two build chemistry throughout the summer, their confidence will only grow. The Browns feel comfortable with Schwesinger dominating at the second level, and Verse feels the same. While it's never ideal to lose an all-time great, the Browns have to feel good with the duo of Verse and Schwesinger.
Schwesinger is also excited about Verse's arrival and said, "I think he’s someone that’s going to be really valuable to what we do and fit right in here and I think being able to work with him is going to be a whole lot of fun," per Ashley Bastock of Cleveland.com.
The future is bright in Cleveland, and seeing how things unfold with this new defensive duo will be fun to watch.
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