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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Cleveland Browns made one of the biggest trades in NFL history this offseason, dealing two-time Defensive Player of the Year and one of the greatest pass rushers of all time, Myles Garrett, to the Los Angeles Rams. Not only was he the face of the franchise, but he was coming off one of the best seasons the league has ever seen, recording a record 23 sacks. It also marked his sixth straight season with 12+ sacks, an NFL record.
But according to Hall of Fame defensive end Dwight Freeney, Browns fans shouldn't sleep on who they got in return: Jared Verse.
"I think this young kid, he's a good pass rusher. He has a great motor. He has an opportunity to be real good. Will he be Myles Garrett? Probably not. There's only going to be one Myles Garrett per 10 years that come into the league, right? But I think that he has an ability to make plays, and he's going to be a playmaker ... He has all the intangibles that it takes to be a good pass rusher."
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Verse hasn't accomplished nearly as much as Garrett, but he's also five years younger, and despite having only been in the league for two seasons, he's already established himself as one of the best players in the game. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 and earned Pro Bowl honors in each of his first two seasons with the Rams. Across 34 games, he's racked up 124 combined tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 27 quarterback hits, five forced fumbles, and 12 sacks. And he hasn't come close to hitting his ceiling.
To Freeney's point, there's a good chance Verse never becomes Garrett. But that's an incredibly high bar, given Garrett is arguably the greatest pass rusher to ever play the game. Verse doesn't need to reach that level to still be a star and a real difference-maker on Cleveland's defense.
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The Browns didn't just get Verse in the deal, either. They also received a first-round pick in 2027, a second-round pick in 2028, and a third-round pick in 2029 — three high-value picks that could be used to draft Day 1 starters and potential future stars, or to facilitate another blockbuster trade to shore up another key area of the roster.
Quarterback has been a sore spot in Cleveland for years, and if neither Deshaun Watson nor Shedeur Sanders pans out, the Browns now have enough draft capital to go out and get their franchise quarterback — either by trading for an established veteran already in the NFL or by moving up in the draft to select the top quarterback available.
The Verse trade could end up paying off in more ways than one.
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