This story needs to be prefaced by saying that Jared Verse is not Myles Garrett, and the Browns on Monday are not a better team, right now, than they were on Sunday.
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However, the difference is not as big as people may think.
The initial, emotional reaction throughout the league was that the Browns were "fleeced" in a deal for the best defensive player in football. Inherently speaking, there is simply no deal out there that would be an even agreement for one of the greatest defenders to ever play football.
Now, with that said, getting Jared Verse in return is nothing to be overlooked. Verse is entering year three, and his stats in years one and two are quite similar, and in some cases better, than what Garrett had in his first two seasons.
While Verse only has 12 sacks to his name, he has been a menace all over the field. He has 124 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and 44 quarterback hits. He has five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries to boot.
Garrett, in his first two years, had 20.5 sacks, just 77 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 47 quarterback hits.
Through two years, the two players are not all that different, and that is with Verse playing technically as a linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. When he gets to Cleveland, he will be an every-down edge rusher, just the same as Garrett was.
From a stature perspective, Verse is actually a very similar body type. Both players stand at 6'4" while Garrett tips the scale at 270 pounds, and Verse is at 264 pounds.
I'll reiterate and say that Verse is not Myles Garrett. Garrett is truly one of one, but if there was anyone who was close to him, it would be Jared Verse.
Cleveland acquired him along with three top-100 draft picks to go along with it. It's hard not to look at this trade as a major positive for Cleveland. If not a "major" positive, certainly as good as they could have done if they were dealing with one of the best defensive players in the game.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns' Jared Verse career stats against Myles Garrett's first years