How Jared Verse and a Team Approach Rebuild the Browns' Post-Myles Garrett Pass Rush

Let’s not mince words, Cleveland: trading away a first-ballot Hall of Famer in his prime feels like a punch to the gut. In an era where sports analysts toss around the word "generational" like a cheap confetti cannon, Myles Garrett is one of the few contemporary players who has actually earned the moniker. Since 2017, Garrett hasn't just anchored the Browns' defensive line; he has been the focal point of opposing offensive game plans, leaving an irreplaceable void in the roster.

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Replacing that kind of historic production is an uphill battle of Mount Kilimanjaro proportions. But Executive Vice President Andrew Berry didn’t just execute a salary dump—he engineered one of the most fascinating trade gambles in NFL history to completely reshape how Cleveland hunts quarterbacks. The era of watching one man carry the entire pass rush on his shoulders is over. The new blueprint? High-volume pass rush pressure from multiple angles employing a team approach.

 Jared Verse: The PRESSURE COOKER

The crown jewel of Cleveland's trade haul is former Defensive Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler Jared Verse. According to a deep analytical breakdown by Pro Football Focus (PFF), the Browns are trading elite efficiency for historic backfield volume.

Last season, Garrett mastered high-end efficiency by converting a massive 27.4% of his pressures into true sacks. Verse, on the other hand, operates as a relentless, pocket-squeezing machine, but converted just 8.5% of his backfield wins into sacks. The Browns are banking on Verse's ability to begin converting those pressures into sacks in his third season.  

But don't let the lower sack numbers mislead you. Verse is productive. As tracked by PFF's Garrett vs. Verse analysis, Verse has actually logged 188 total pressures across his first two NFL seasons! That is the most by any edge rusher through their first two years in the PFF era since 2006, comfortably clearing Garrett’s early marks.

Metric Since 2024	Myles Garrett	Jared Verse
Total Defensive Snaps	1,691	1,959
Total Pressures First 2 Years	166	188
PFF Pass-Rush Grade	94.2	88.1
Pressure Rate	17.8%	17.0%
Sack-Conversion Rate (2025)	27.4%	8.5%

Data referenced with corporate attribution to Pro Football Focus.

The Rising Tide: Wright and McGuire

Verse can’t build the wall alone. For this team-defense approach to choke out AFC North offenses, Cleveland desperately needs its home-grown depth to turn ascending flashes into consistent, weekly destruction.

Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire have both shown real traits of developmental success over the last year, but their time to sit back and learn is officially over. Now on his second contract, Wright has developed into an imposing edge-setter, but his pass-rush plan must become more sophisticated. McGuire flashes a devastating first step but struggles when tackles counter his initial speed-to-power move. The physical toolkits are there; now, it's about consistency from the young rotation. The new Batman needs his Robin.

Chaos From the Second Level: Williams and Swesinger

While the defensive line squeezes the edges, the real fun begins directly up the middle. The pass rush attack added a premier schematic weapon in linebacker Quincy Williams. Williams arrives in Cleveland carrying a notorious reputation as an absolute missile in blitz packages. His lateral explosive speed gives the Browns an immediate identity upgrade on passing downs.

Pairing Williams with the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, Carson Swesinger, potentially gives Cleveland a terrifying linebacker duo. As a rookie, Swesinger didn't just survive in blitz scenarios—he feasted. His elite sideline-to-sideline processing speed allows him to disguise his entry point until the very last millisecond, routinely exploding through interior gaps to disrupt play designs before they can unfold.

Linebacker	Defensive Role	Trait Profiles & Blitz History
Quincy Williams	Weakside Attack	Elite downhill accelerator; verified history of success crushing interior A-gaps.
Carson Swesinger	Inside Facilitator	Reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year; standard-setter in blitz disguise and processing speed.

Rebuilding From the Inside Out: The Interior Rotation

If first time defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg’s attacking defensive game plan is going to keep the Browns in the top 10 defense discussion without 95 drawing triple-teams on the boundary, the burden shifts heavily onto an interior defensive line room dripping with untapped upside. It starts with second-year breakout candidate Mason Graham. Graham put together a highly impressive rookie campaign, finishing second on the team with 36 total pressures. What the fan base didn't know is that he achieved that production while playing through broken ribs suffered early in the year—a display of standard-setting toughness in the trenches.

Alongside him is Mike Hall Jr., an ultra-talented interior penetrator who is still incredibly young but trying to steady the ship after a rocky start to his NFL career. When Hall flashes his explosive first step out of his stance, he looks unblockable. The key is whether the training staff can keep Hall healthy. If they do, he is capable of a break out season.

The defensive line will be anchored by veteran Maliek Collins. Collins was in the midst of arguably the most efficient and productive season of his career—logging a breakout 6.5 sacks from the interior—before a severe quad injury ended his year in late November. Having him healthy and pushing the pocket off the snap changes the math completely.

Keep a close eye on developmental pass-rusher Adin Huntington. Huntington made the active roster as an undrafted free agent thanks to a unique, elite athletic trait profile that includes a blazing 4.64-second 40-yard dash at 281 pounds. That level of closing speed from a defensive tackle is a rare tool, giving Cleveland a ball of clay that can be molded into a premier interior third-down specialist.

Defensive Lineman	Roster Context	Schematic Outlook & Baseline Traits
Mason Graham	Second-Year Anchor	Logged 36 pressures as a rookie while fighting through broken ribs. Top breakout candidate.
Mike Hall Jr.	Developmental DT	Ultra-talented prospect looking to move past a rocky start and reach his high-upside potential.
Maliek Collins	Veteran Incumbent	Returning from a late-season quad tear after logging a career-high 6.5 sacks in 12 games.
Adin Huntington	Wild Card	Boasts unique 4.64 speed at 281 lbs. Elite developmental upside as a sub-package rusher.

The Verdict: LET THE DAWGS Hunt

Make no mistake, losing Myles Garrett will hurt throughout the season. There will be moments on third-and-long where we collectively hold our breath, waiting for a single defender to pull off an impossible athletic feat.

But there is a distinct, refreshing hope hidden inside this structural shift. By moving away from "hero ball," this defense is forcing itself to become more unpredictable, deeper, and fundamentally sound. Opposing coordinators can no longer just slide a tight end and a running back over to double-team number "95." They have to account for Verse's relentless motor, Graham's ability to win with leverage, and the heat seeking missile who is Carson Swesinger.

It’s going to look different, and it may not always be pretty but this team approach might just forge a balanced pass attack capable of wearing teams down for four straight quarters. Gear up, Dawg Pound. Our star is now walking Hollywood Boulevard, but the unit he left is hungry and ready to hunt.