Cleveland Browns defensive end Jared Verse says he is not frustrated by his sack drought in his first season with the team, pointing instead to the standings. Asked this week whether the lack of a sack bothered him, Verse answered bluntly that it did not, because Cleveland is winning.
The Browns improved to 4-2 with a 13-10 victory over Baltimore, a result that moved Cleveland into a share of the AFC North lead. Verse, who recorded 7.5 sacks in 2025 with Los Angeles, has yet to bring down a quarterback through six games in Cleveland.
Verse arrived in the trade that sent Myles Garrett to the Rams, a deal that put immediate attention on how Cleveland would replace the production of the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. The quiet start has drawn notice precisely because Verse was brought in to help lead the pass rush.
Cleveland’s defense has delivered even while Verse adjusts. The Browns entered Week 7 ranked second in the NFL with 19 sacks despite injuries up front, and the unit has produced seven takeaways through six games, compared with four at the same point last season.
The transition has included a scheme change. Cleveland uses a four-man defensive front, different from the system Verse played in with the Rams, and he has acknowledged that adapting to the new role has been difficult at times.
Head coach Todd Monken has credited the group’s physicality, effort and connection for its results, and the Browns have done it while defensive tackle Mason Graham, who had four sacks in the first three games, missed the past two games. Monken expressed optimism about getting Graham back against Tennessee on Sunday.
Cleveland’s 13-10 win over Baltimore was the latest in a run of close victories that also includes Tampa Bay and Carolina. The defense held the Ravens scoreless after the first quarter in that game, keeping Cleveland within reach until the offense delivered late — the kind of complementary result Verse and his teammates say matters more than any individual statistic line.
For Verse, the next chance to end the drought comes in that Sunday matchup with the Titans, with Cleveland looking to hold its share of first place in the division.
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY