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By Aman Sharma
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Cleveland Browns defensive end Jared Verse explained on Nov. 12 that a mental block caused his sack drought, and he sat down with a club psychiatrist to fix it.
He’s still chasing his first sack nine games into his Browns tenure, which began with the blockbuster that landed two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett with the Los Angeles Rams.
Verse insisted he’s ready for the Houston Texans now that he’s found the issue. NFL Next Gen Stats puts him among only three players with 200-plus pass-rushing snaps and no sacks this year.
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Asked about his health, Verse ruled out any physical issues.
“I think it was definitely a mental block,” Verse said. “I train my body every day to push myself to the limits of what I’m physically capable of doing. So I don’t think it was any issue with my body, but I think I’ve taken the steps to figure out what it was after meeting with a couple people and everything like that.”
Los Angeles saw a different player. Verse won the 2024 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award, made two Pro Bowls and piled up 99 pressures across his first two NFL seasons, a total topped only by Garrett and Micah Parsons.
Per NFL Next Gen Stats and ESPN Analytics, his 3.4% pressure rate sits 180th among 199 qualifiers, while his 11.2% edge pass rush win rate ranks 55th of 56.
Elsewhere, he has 20 combined tackles, including four for loss.
Nor did he fault frustrated Cleveland fans.
“It is just simple to say the Browns fans are upset about it; I am upset about it; we all have a reason to be upset about it,” he said. “I just haven’t done enough, and I think that I have taken the time to figure out what the issue was and attacked it. I think I am ready for this week.”
A week earlier, Browns coach Todd Monken brushed aside any worry, saying it was “too early to say anything” about Verse.
He also cautioned against measuring Verse against the star he replaced.
“And it’s unfair to compare him to Myles Garrett. I think that’s always been unfair. Myles is in an elite category of his own.”
Houston visits Huntington Bank Field on Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. ET. Chasing CJ Stroud, a mobile passer, makes for a tough spot to open a sack account.
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