Browns DE Jared Verse took 'time to self-build' with team psychiatrist amid production struggles

BEREA, Ohio — It's been a tough season for Browns defensive end Jared Verse. The 26-year-old pass rusher joined a new team after being traded to the Browns in the blockbuster deal with the Rams that sent Myles Garrett out west.

In turn, he entered a system out of his comfort zone, playing in a 4-3 defense as opposed to the 3-4 system he'd been accustomed to in Los Angeles. And now, nine weeks into the season, Verse is working through production struggles, and amid physical production not being what he, or anyone, hoped it would be, Verse has turned to working on the mental side of it all.

As the Browns enter Week 10, Verse has been eerily quiet on the stat sheet. He's recorded just 10 solo tackles, 20 combined, with four tackles for loss and six quarterback hits. In that time, the former Defensive Rookie of the Year has yet to record a single sack.

"I think the engine goes, and I think we are the engine. I think Maliek [Collins], Mason [Graham], me, myself included, Isaiah [McGuire], I think we have to start off by being better as a collective four. I think we can all get to the quarterback. I think missing Maliek last week was a huge key issue for us. I know he's somebody that generates a lot of pressure for us," Verse said. "But I think myself, I'm mainly going to put it on myself. I haven't played well at all this season. I think after taking a little bit of time looking at me, at what I could do better because I think that group goes as I go. That's my mindset in anything I do."

Verse has been vocal about the work he's been doing to try to show up more on the stat sheet and make more of an impact on his defense, which has included working on his physical game and adding moves to his bag to try to combat offensive lines.

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There hasn't been an injury to account for Verse's lack of production; nothing somatic is holding him back. That alone has been frustrating to Verse, who is aware the frustrations aren't just self-contained. That's why, ahead of the upcoming matchup with the Houston Texans, Verse said he's shifted some of that work to his mental state.

"I think it was just a mental aspect of the game. We could have been here all day, and I could talk to you about each key play that we played all season long. But I think that would be a waste of all of our time. It's just simple to say I think the Browns fans are upset about it. I'm upset about it. I think we all have a reason to be upset. I just haven't done enough, and I think I've taken the time to figure out what the issue was. I've attacked it. I think I'm ready for this week," he said.

Verse didn't want to get too detailed with the work he's put in other than to say he had been working with Dr. Mayur Pandya, a Browns' team psychiatrist. He believes he's identified reasons for his struggles on the field this season through that work and believes part of it was a "mental block."

"I'm excited for it, but I took a lot of time to self-build, and I met with Dr. (Mayur) Pandya a little bit, and I figured out what my issue was," Verse said. "I think it was definitely a mental block. I train my body every day to push myself to the limits of what I'm physically capable of doing. So I don't think it was any issue with my body, but I think I've taken the steps to figure out what it was after meeting with a couple people and everything like that."

Perhaps, through the work Verse has put in recently, the pass-rusher can not only free himself from some of his personal frustration surrounding his production, but in turn, counter it with improvement on the field. The first chance for that comes inside Huntington Bank Field on Sunday as the Browns and Texans kick off at 1 p.m.