The Cleveland Browns had one of the NFL's most dominant defenses last season. But Browns GM Andrew Berry traded Myles Garrett to the Rams in exchange for the 2024 first-round pick Jared Verse. And with Garrett gone, the unit suddenly looks vulnerable.

The Browns believe they are well-positioned defensively this year, thanks to Jared Verse. But ESPN NFL insider Daniel Oyefusi expresses his doubts about Verse's production, compared to Garrett's.

"Does Cleveland's pass rush have enough juice after trading Myles Garrett?" asked Oyefusi.

In his July 13 ESPN report, the NFL insider pointed to the fact that Myles Garrett had 23 sacks last year, and Verse recorded only 7.5.

But while sacks tell a different story, their overall production is surprisingly comparable.

Garrett registered 29 tackles, compared to Verse's 58, and both players forced three fumbles. While Garrett holds a clear edge as a pass rusher, Verse matches him across several other defensive metrics.

Oyefusi acknowleged that although Verse is nowhere close to Garrett now, he still has enough caliber.

“Verse isn't in Garrett's caliber as a pass rusher, but he has still been one of the more disruptive edge defenders in his first two seasons,” he wrote.

Other defensive ends, such as Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire, will also have to shoulder a bigger load now that Garrett is gone.

In addition, Cleveland will be hoping that Maliek Collins, who recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks last season, returns fully healthy after suffering a quad injury late in the year.

Oyefusi believes Cleveland's optimism may stem from Mason Graham.

“Maybe the biggest X factor in replacing Garrett's production could be a Year 2 leap from defensive tackle Mason Graham,” wrote Oyefusi.

Graham showed elite pass-rushing potential last year, finishing 20th in pass-rush win rate (8.3%). To offset Garrett's loss, the entire defense will have to operate like a well-oiled machine.

On that note, one of the Browns insiders is betting big on Jared Verse.

Analyst claims Jared Verse is poised to outshine Myles Garrett in 2026

Myles Garrett won the Defensive Player of the Year award last season. He not only led the league in sacks but also served as the heartbeat of the Browns' defense.

Despite that, ESPN insider Bill Barnwell believes Jared Verse could surpass Garrett this season.

“Jared Verse finishes the year with more sacks than Myles Garrett,” Barnwell said on The Bill Barnwell Show on July 9.

Quite a bold statement considering Jared Verse has just 12 combined sacks over the past two seasons. While some of his other metrics stack up well against Garrett's, he has yet to come close to matching his overall impact.

Barnwell is so confident in Verse that he even predicted the exact number of sacks he'll have this season.

"So could I see Jared Verse having like a 14 sack season and Myles Garrett have a 13 and a half sack season? Yeah, of course,” added Barnwell on July 9.

What do you think? Will the Browns' new defense work well this season with Jared Verse in the mix?

Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community!

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit