Can the Browns still have a top 5 defense in 2026 with Jared Verse instead of Myles Garrett?

Описание: The Cleveland Browns can still have a top-5 defense in 2026 with Jared Verse instead of Myles Garrett—but it's asking a lot. Garrett isn't just a great player; he's a defensive game-plan by himself. Offensive coordinators slide protections toward him, chip him with tight ends and running backs, and build entire pass-protection schemes around slowing him down. Replacing that kind of impact isn't as simple as plugging in another talented edge rusher.

That said, Verse is one of the few young pass rushers in football who has the talent, motor, and physicality to become a cornerstone defender. If he continues developing into a double-digit sack player, and Cleveland gets high-level play from guys like Denzel Ward, Grant Delpit, and the rest of the secondary, the Browns could still field an elite defense. The key difference is that the unit would likely have to become more balanced. With Garrett, you could rely on one superstar to wreck a game. With Verse, it may need to be more about depth, scheme, and collective production under defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg.

So the answer is yes—but the path looks different. A top-5 defense with Myles Garrett starts with having arguably the best defensive player in football. A top-5 defense with Jared Verse requires Verse becoming a star in his own right and the rest of the roster elevating around him. The bigger question is this: can Verse eventually become the type of player offenses fear every week, or does replacing Garrett force Cleveland to win with a different defensive identity altogether?

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