Tampa Bay's star left tackle Tristan Wirfs talked about the challenges the offensive line will face from the Browns' defensive line, including young edge rusher Jared Verse, who came over in the Myles Garrett trade.
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Cleveland Browns this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, they won't have to deal with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
The Browns finally gave in and traded the future Hall of Famer this offseason, sending him to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round selection, a 2029 third-round pick, as well as edge rusher Jared Verse.
While those extra draft picks will surely come in handy for a rebuilding team, don't underestimate the importance of Cleveland also acquiring Verse, who is one of the best young edge rushers in the league.
In his first two seasons after being the Rams' first-round pick in 2024 (19th overall), Verse has totaled 12 sacks and five forced fumbles. Still only 25, he has incredible upside and a very high ceiling that should be a perfect fit for the Browns' realistic timeline to become a (hopefully) good team.
While he isn't Garrett (nobody is), Verse can provide plenty of problems for Tampa's offensive line this Sunday. The Bucs' line was expected to be one of the NFL's best this season, but it struggled in the season-opening loss against the Bengals.
Tampa's star left tackle, Tristan Wirfs, spoke with reporters about Cleveland's defensive line and what the Bucs' offensive line can improve upon this week. He also talked about Verse and what he brings to the table in place of Garrett.
Different Kind Of Defensive Line Than Cincinnati
Wirfs talked about the Browns' defensive line playing a different style than the one Tampa just saw against Cincinnati. Wirfs said that Cleveland's line is more penetrating, whereas Cincy's line is full of "readers."
"Oh, gosh. I think against these guys, I mean, D-line-wise, I say it every week, there [are] no bad D-lines. Giving Baker [Mayfield] time to dice these guys up is going to be huge. They're a big penetrating front, so a little bit different than Cincinnati [Bengals], Cincinnati [are] more readers, but kind of from the 'Niners' (San Francisco 49ers) family, they're big penetrators, so if we can gash them, it's going to be great. It's just going to open things up for us."
Giving Mayfield time to carve up Cleveland's defense is one of Tampa's biggest keys to victory this week. Mayfield lost three fumbles against the Bengals last Sunday, and two of them were on strip-sacks.
Verse is probably the toughest individual matchup the Bucs will have to worry about. He is an ascending edge rusher who ranked 6th in the NFL with 80 pressures last year. His strength is something Wirfs was quick to mention.
"Yeah, they don't [have] (Former Browns DE) Myles [Garrett] anymore, but yeah, they brought in Jared. Jared is a really good pass rusher, a big, strong kid, big power guy. Yeah, it's going to be a fun matchup. I can't wait. [I] saw him in L.A. (Los Angeles) last year. We were slinging the rock that game. Hopefully [we get] a little more mixed 'D&D' (down and distance), mixed play calls this time around. Yeah, always a fun matchup. Yeah, good D-Line. It's going to be a fun game."
Final Thoughts
Verse is going to be a great player in the NFL someday, if he isn't already. Wirfs and the rest of the offensive line will have their hands full dealing with Cleveland's newest edge rusher.
If Mayfield gets time to throw this week, he should be able to have a great game. If he doesn't and is getting pressured all game, the chances of him committing more turnovers grow exponentially.
If the Bucs want to rebound from last week's frustrating loss, winning the line of scrimmage and neutralizing Cleveland's defensive line, especially Verse, will be key.
