Browns Trade Myles Garrett, Acquire Wrecking Ball Jared Verse

The Browns traded Myles Garrett and got a wrecking ball in return; here's why that's not a downgrade.

CLEVELAND, Ohio: There’s a new kind of dangerous arriving in Cleveland, and it doesn’t look anything like what Browns fans have spent the last several years cheering for. Myles Garrett was art. The bend, the leverage, the way he’d get impossibly low and make elite offensive tackles look like they were moving in slow motion. That was a thing of rare beauty. But Jared Verse? Verse is a wrecking ball. He’s a freight train. He is, as his nickname so perfectly captures, a V8 engine in human form.

What happened?

On the latest episode of the Orange and Brown Talk podcast, host Dan Labbe and Browns beat reporters Mary Kay Cabot and Ashley Bastock dug deep into what Browns fans can expect from their new number one edge rusher, and the picture they painted is one that should have Cleveland absolutely buzzing heading into training camp.

Why it matters for Myles Garrett

Different, yes. But don’t confuse different with lesser. This is a player who, over the past two seasons, ranked third in total pressures across the entire NFL, trailing only Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett himself. The sack numbers haven’t fully caught up yet, but the production has been undeniably there.

What comes next?

The conversation on the pod also touched on Verse’s ceiling, which is where things get really exciting. He’s heading into just his third NFL season. He’s already a Defensive Rookie of the Year award winner. He’s already a Pro Bowler. And yet, by nearly every assessment, he hasn’t come close to reaching his full potential.

If the Browns can tap into that potential, they could be looking at a dominant force on the edge. And it’s not just the Browns who think so. Jason Kelce, a seven-time Pro Bowler and one of the best centers in the league, has taken notice of Verse’s abilities.

“V8 is such a good nickname for a power rusher,” said Bastock. “It’s actually perfect. So I do think that it is a very different vibe that he brings compared to Myles Garrett.”

Dan Labbe pointed to one game in particular that every Browns fan should queue up right now. “Go watch the fourth quarter of that Indianapolis game last year where he like, the last two series he just smells blood in the water and the tackle he’s going against,” Labbe said on the podcast. “He knows he could just overpower him and he just does again and again and again.”

That’s the V8 in action. That’s the engine firing on all cylinders. And while Verse doesn’t yet have the diverse pass rush toolkit that made Garrett a generational talent, the raw power he brings to the position is something that even the game’s elite have taken notice of in a major way.

And it’s not just the Browns who are excited about Verse’s potential. The entire NFL is taking notice. So, what does this mean for the Browns and their fans? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure-Jared Verse is a force to be reckoned with.

And, as Labbe pointed out, Verse’s ceiling is still very much untapped. He’s heading into just his third NFL season, and he’s already accomplished more than most players can dream of. But, as Labbe said, “he hasn’t come close to reaching his full potential.”

If the Browns can tap into that potential, they could be looking at a dominant force on the edge. And it’s not just the Browns who think so. Jason Kelce, a seven-time Pro Bowler and one of the best centers in the league, has taken notice of Verse’s abilities.

“V8 is such a good nickname for a power rusher,” said Bastock. “It’s actually perfect. So I do think that it is a very different vibe that he brings compared to Myles Garrett.”

Dan Labbe pointed to one game in particular that every Browns fan should queue up right now. “Go watch the fourth quarter of that Indianapolis game last year where he like, the last two series he just smells blood in the water and the tackle he’s going against,” Labbe said on the podcast. “He knows he could just overpower him and he just does again and again and again.”

That’s the V8 in action. That’s the engine firing on all cylinders. And while Verse doesn’t yet have the diverse pass rush toolkit that made Garrett a generational talent, the raw power he brings to the position is something that even the game’s elite have taken notice of in a major way.

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category: club_news