Jared Verse Criticizes Browns Teammates Over Lack of Support

Cleveland Browns defensive end Jared Verse publicly criticized his teammates Wednesday for failing to support him after a Week 8 road loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Verse felt abandoned when Steelers guard Mason McCormick tackled him during a point-after attempt, a play that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty.

The Week 8 Penalty

During the Steelers’ 27-6 victory, Verse attempted to block a kick and was lifted into the air by McCormick. The 26-year-old defensive end landed on his head and neck after McCormick swept his legs. Verse noted the move could have ended his season or caused life-altering consequences.

I jumped in the air, tried to block the kick. He swept my legs in the air, ended up landing on my head. That’s football. I’m very upset about it and if this wasn’t football I’d be acting a different way. He got a flag; we were able to walk away with a yellow penalty on them.

McCormick claimed he was reacting to a defender leaving his feet. I really had no idea who it was. Just felt somebody jump. I was told to get the jumpers hands down, McCormick said. The two players previously clashed during their first meeting of the season when Verse swung at the guard following a missed field goal by Steelers kicker Chris Boswell.

Verse Criticizes Teammate Response

Verse told reporters the lack of immediate retaliation from his teammates troubled him, suggesting the team failed to protect one another. He focused his frustration on their inaction.

The lack of reaction by those around me upset me a lot. … A similar play happened to Derek Barnett on I think the next field goal, and I lost it because it was my brothers and my teammates. And when you do something like that to him, it upsets me very deeply. To be quite honest with you, that was the play that made me really angry.

Linebacker Carson Schwesinger stated he did not witness the play in real time. Video footage shows nearby Browns players looking away at the moment of the tackle, which supports Schwesinger’s claim that he would have defended Verse had he seen the event occur.

Verse Addressed Team After Pre-Game Trash Talk

Verse addressed his concerns with the team in the days following the game. He admitted his own pre-game trash talk—which included comments about making Pittsburgh ours—may have increased the matchup’s intensity without his teammates knowing his verbal strategy.

The Browns fell to 5-3 after the loss, trailing the Steelers by one game in the AFC North standings. Verse, who joined Cleveland in the trade sending Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, has 18 tackles and zero sacks through eight games. The 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year watched his team record just 34 rushing yards and allow eight sacks on quarterback Deshaun Watson during the defeat.

Browns coach Todd Monken addressed the team on Monday, noting that they must speak through their play rather than their words. We certainly earned that. We earned that one and we’ve earned being 5-3. We are certainly capable of a hell of a lot better than that, Monken said.

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