Cleveland Browns defender lands at No. 35 on NFL’s Top 100 list

BEREA, OHIO - JULY 29: Alex Wright #91 and Jared Verse #8 of the Cleveland Browns high-five during Cleveland Browns Training Camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on July 29, 2026 in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Cleveland Browns made the decision earlier this summer, after months of contemplation, to trade reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams.

While the trade was equally understandable and regrettable, general manager Andrew Berry held firm that he wanted more than just draft picks from the Rams in return for the game's best defensive player.

Berry wanted defensive end Jared Verse; otherwise, the deal was off.

As the Browns near the end of the second week of training camp, it has been easy to see why Berry coveted Verse. The third-year player has been putting in the work, injecting some new energy into a defense under first-year defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, and even helping rookie left tackle Spencer Fano get up to speed, knowing the Browns will need Fano to be ready when Week 1 rolls around.

No. 35 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026...@Browns DE Jared Verse! @NFLFilmspic.twitter.com/YyBgnxW2Hh

- NFL (@NFL) August 5, 2026

None of that has gone unnoticed, as head coach Todd Monken remarked this week when asked about Verse's energy (quote via a team-provided transcript):

That's really cool. I walked up to Jared and said, Man, we're so lucky you're a Brown. I mean, holy s***, how cool is this?' Because he's not only a great leader, but he also works his rear end off every day, and after practice he's trying to get Spencer better. I stood right behind him listening to what he was talking about, and it was bang, bang, bang, five reps in a row of his footwork, then talking through what he was going to do, how he could redirect, how he could use his hands and punch. It was within five reps I saw Spencer get better. It was him teaching like he was a coach, and it was awesome."

It is not just Monken and his teammates that are impressed by what Verse brings to the field, but his peers recognize it as well, which is why Verse moved up 18 spots this year to check in at No. 35 on the annual NFL Top 100 list as voted on by the players, with NFL.com's Bobby Kownack writing that:

Verse's two-year Rams tenure was marked by success at every turn. The 2024 No. 19 overall pick made the Pro Bowl and wonAP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Yearin his first season, then followed it up by besting his previous sack total by three amid another Pro Bowl campaign. He's also now 2 for 2 landing on theNFL Top 100list. Any future accolades will have to come in new colors, though. Verse was key to the Browns' willingness totradeMyles Garrettto Los Angeles, casting the 25-year-old in a feature role of Cleveland's newest rebuild.

NFL Pro Insight forVerse:Verse generated a team-high 67 pressures last season and converted 11.2% of those into sacks, nearly double his rookie rate.

Verse has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons, was the league's 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, and has 12 sacks, 124 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and 45 quarterback hits.

He may not be Myles Garrett, and there is no shame in that, but if Verse keeps up the energy he has shown so far, then opposing quarterbacks may not be able to tell the difference when they face the Browns this fall.

Verse joins linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who came in at No. 93, as the only Cleveland players to make the list so far.