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The Cleveland Browns traded superstar Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Cleveland Browns acquired Jared Verse in the blockbuster trade that sent superstar Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams last week, but there’s still plenty of room on the roster for another quality edge-rusher.
Wynston Wilcox of FanSided on Thursday, June 4 pitched Cameron Jordan, an eight-time Pro Bowler and career member of the New Orleans Saints, as a temporary fill-in for Garrett.
“The Browns were wise to get a really good contingency plan in Jared Verse as part of the deal to trade Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. That said, Verse isn’t going to replace 23 sacks in one season,” Wilcox wrote. “Adding Cameron Jordan, a veteran pass-rusher coming off a 10.5-sack season isn’t a bad idea. That gives them some insurance on the defensive line while also adding a productive veteran.”
Cameron Jordan Can Offer Browns Strong Short-Term Option to Solidify Pass Rush Alongside Jared Verse
GettyDefensive end Cameron Jordan, formerly of the New Orleans Saints.
Jordan spent the past 15 years in New Orleans but has been on the open market since March. He added 15 tackles for loss to his 10-plus sacks in 2025 and is a reliable defender on both run and pass downs, even though his last Pro Bowl campaign is now three seasons behind him.
Verse, at just 25 years old, is a longterm replacement for Garrett with two years remaining on his $15 million rookie contract and a fifth-year team option waiting for the Browns in 2028, as Verse is a former first-round draft pick.
Jordan is more of a short-term mercenary, liable to sign a one-year contract (or two years at most) at a team-friendly amount — no matter which franchise he ends up with. Spotrac projects his market value at $6.8 million on a one-year deal in 2026.
Several other teams — such as the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers — could use a player of Jordan’s skill set at such a value, which argues for the Browns acting sooner than later if they intend to add more firepower off the edge for the upcoming campaign.
That said, pass-rushers like Jadeveon Clowney and Joey Bosa also remain available and could prove strong fits in Cleveland, too, based on their production-cost value projections.
Jared Verse Intends to Supplant Myles Garrett as Best Defensive Player in NFL
GettyCleveland Browns pass-rusher Jared Verse.
While the discussions in and around Cleveland involve Verse, and potentially another player(s) like Jordan, filling in for the departed Garrett and bringing to the table what he brought, Verse has been adamant that he doesn’t see his career transition in that way.
“I’m not here to fill [Myles Garrett’s] shoes, I’m here to bring my own,” Verse said, according to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. “I’m here to be the best version of me. And the best version of me is gonna be the best defensive player in the league.”
Verse has been a Pro Bowler in each of his first two professional seasons after joining the Rams as a first-round pick out of Florida State in 2024. He tallied 11 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks last season, adding 80 total pressures (6th among edge defenders), 52 QB hurries (6th) and 20 hits (2nd), per Pro Football Focus.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible