BEREA — Jared Verse was in his head, out of position and not around the ball enough.
That was his harsh assessment of his Browns debut, a 34-10 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday.
“I think mistakes happen when people try to do more than what they’re capable of, more than what they’re thought to be,” the defensive end said Thursday. “I was starting to think too much, that’s something I don’t do when I play. I just let myself freely play, try to get into a, for lack of better words, a flow state. And I wasn’t in that flow state, I was trying to force too much, so I’m just going to get back to playing how I play.”
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Verse, a two-time Pro Bowler in two years with the Rams, was a critical piece of the offseason trade that sent Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to Los Angeles. Verse arrived in Northeast Ohio with huge expectations for himself and giant shoes to fill.
He didn’t have a sack, quarterback hit or pressure against the Jaguars, totaling four tackles, including one for loss. Pro Football Focus gave him a 57.6 overall grade. He had 7.5 sacks and 27 quarterback hits last season.
“I was disappointed with how I was stopping the run,” he said. “My biggest issue was I wasn’t playing within the scheme that they set and doing my own thing. That leaves so many gaps open on my side, on the other side, and all of us not playing as 11 as one is the biggest issue.”
Browns DE Jared Verse said he was trying to make a play and didn’t follow scheme in opener. pic.twitter.com/hszrBP9RSf
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 17, 2026
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Verse said he pressed after the defense got off to a slow start and Jacksonville built a lead.
“We got down a little bit and I was like, crap, I got to make a big play, got to turn the ball over, get the offense the ball back,” he said. “But that’s not my job. My job’s just to be me. It’s not to force anything else. It’s to play within the scheme and the structure of our defense, which is perfectly crafted.”
Verse’s first shot at redemption comes Sunday in Tampa.
“After a loss like that, you got seven days to revamp yourself,” he said. “You can’t go into the game with the same mindset, oh, I got to go do this, I got to do that. You have to figure out how you got to attack the situation. And I think we’ve done that.”
The challenge doesn’t get much easier.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield lost three fumbles in an opening loss to the Bengals and will be motivated to atone and beat his former team. Verse will also go against left tackle Tristan Wirfs, a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro.
“He’s one of those freaks of nature that you face every now and then,” Verse said of the 6-foot-5, 320-pounder. “He’s super strong, he’s a big guy, he’s powerful, but he’s super athletic, especially for his size. He can get out on you quick. If he gets his hands on you, it’s a tough situation.”
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Verse had two sacks in the Rams’ 34-7 win over the Bucs on Nov. 23. He got Mayfield once before the quarterback exited with a left shoulder injury and was replaced by Teddy Bridgewater.
“I definitely looked at it, but he’s changed his play since then. I’ve changed my play since then,” Verse said of Wirfs. “So I’m focusing on what I can do now. I’ve watched the game a couple times, but I’m more focused on how the Bengals attacked him, how the Panthers attacked him later in the season last year.”
Mayfield noted Wednesday that Garrett being gone is “good for the Bucs,” before quickly turning his attention to the successor.
“But Jared Verse is no slouch either,” Mayfield said.
He and Verse talk a lot of trash on the field.
“You got to respect a guy like that,” Mayfield said. “High energy, a guy that he’s good and he knows it. So you got to match that energy and still do your job. He’s going to bring it no matter what.”
Verse returned the compliment.
“Baker’s one of my favorite quarterbacks that ever played the game,” he said. “My personality, his personality, I feel like it’s kind of a match.
“He’s a great quarterback. And when you have a week like that (three fumbles), you don’t typically have weeks like that twice in a row. He’s going to fix that all week. We’re just going to try to punch at it a little bit more.”
Verse is transitioning from outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme to end in a 4-3. He’s also become the focal point of the opposition, saying he had never faced more double teams and chips than he did against the Jaguars.
“You learn a lot from losses, a lot more than when you win,” he said. “I’ve learned so much from the game that we had last week and I’ve learned how I want to attack them, how I want to attack offensive linemen, how I want to attack chips that come my way, running back chips, tight end chips, everything that comes with it.
“That’s just the way Jacksonville plays. I knew that from last year when I played them. This year, I knew they were going to do the same thing. I just didn’t put enough emphasis on it throughout the week and that’s on me.”
Verse said there’s no direct counter when hit with a chip. The key is perseverance and winning twice.
“It’s just you got to be able to work off (it),” he said. “You can’t beat a chip, you can’t get to the tackle. You can’t get to the tackle, they just going to tie you up.”
Browns DE Jared Verse on dealing with chips and double teams. pic.twitter.com/oEF0zfnpSW
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 17, 2026
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