BEREA — Two games into his tenure with the Browns, defensive end Jared Verse is still searching for his first sack. He isn’t obsessing over the zero on the stat sheet.
“I don’t care about sacks,” he said Thursday. “At the end of the season, yeah, you can tally up how good somebody played because of, oh, he had this many sacks, he had that many sacks. That’s never been a testament to the way I play.
“I try to be the best version of me that elevates my teammates around me. If my teammates are getting sacks and they’re producing and I’m causing pressure to make this quarterback throw a pick or do this or do that, if it’s just elevating our defense, that’s all that matters to me. A sack is one play out of 60 you get a game. What are you doing the other 59 plays?”
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Verse is in the spotlight after being acquired June 1 in the blockbuster trade that sent Defensive Player of the Year and NFL sack king Myles Garrett to the Rams. Garrett, who’s on injured reserve following arthroscopic knee surgery, is in Year 10 and has 125.5 sacks. Verse is in his third season and has 12.
Verse was credited with four tackles, including one for loss, in the opening loss to the Jaguars. He said he tried to do too much and didn’t play within the scheme. He said he played a “lot better” in the win over the Buccaneers and was credited with a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. He has one pressure in two games and will look for more Sunday when the Browns host quarterback Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers, who lead the league in passing yards (312.5), are second in points (35.5) and tied for fourth in total offense (409).
Browns DE Jared Verse on his performance in Week 2. pic.twitter.com/W7piqLeCrH
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“I could play the best game of my life and not be pleased with the way I played. So I’m still not pleased with how I played,” Verse said of the Buccaneers game. “That’s a top-tier tackle to go up against. Tristan Wirfs, he’s an amazing player, top All-Pro for a reason. I got to be better in my aspect of attacking him. I still had a couple of good plays against him. A couple rushes and got a couple run stops against him.”
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It may not have been an official pressure, according to certain evaluations, but Verse undoubtedly affected Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield on a key play. Verse chased Mayfield well outside of the pocket, forcing a throw into the end zone that resulted in an incompletion.
“That play is as bada** of a play as I’ve seen,” defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg said. “I’m really proud of his approach. He’s got a plan. He prepares really, really hard. He’s working on his rush plan.
“He’s trying his butt off. He’s doing a lot of really good things. I’m excited for him and I know it will continue to get better. And he’s working really hard at it.”
Verse was NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and a two-time Pro Bowler in two years with the Rams. He played outside linebacker in their 3-4, is a 4-3 end with the Browns and “100 percent” getting more comfortable.
“It’s a whole new system. I’ve never played in anything like this,” he said. “I know a lot of people think that it’s one of the things that in a week there can be an understanding of it. It’s a lot harder than that to get comfortable with the whole new system, the whole new scheme, but every week I’m getting a little bit more.”
The changes include playing more out of a three- or four-point stance rather than standing up, and being part of a four-man front instead of a five-man unit.
“It’s a credit to him trying to find his inches, trying to find his different ways within this scheme,” Rutenberg said. “And he’s doing it, and he’s working on it individually. And we see it every day in practice and we’re going to continue to see it in the games.”
Verse’s assessment of sacks was a bit overstated. He wants them and values them, just doesn’t believe they’re all that matters.
“I think they are very important in the fact that they can mess up an offense’s head. They can push people back,” he said. “Obviously I want as many sacks as possible, every defensive lineman does. But I think there’s a lot more things that can contribute to the fact that if you’re a good defensive lineman or if you’re a top-tier player or not, besides just the fact that you’re putting up a high sack total.”
He feels stopping the run is underrated for a D-lineman, and he was much better setting the edge vs. the Bucs.
“So many people focus too much on the ability to get to the quarterback and to get these sacks, hits, quarterback pressures and all that,” he said.
Verse took Garrett’s spot at right end, which is the premier position and requires constant battles with the left tackle. Verse moved to left end for one snap vs. Tampa Bay and was asked if he likes the idea of moving around, which can yield an easier matchup.
“Put me where you think we have the best chance of winning,” he said.
