Jared Verse was back on the practice field for the Browns on Thursday as they continue to prepare for Sunday’s matchup with the Steelers.
Verse (knee) was a limited participant in the session after he was sidelined on Wednesday.
Verse has registered 17 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and five QB hits so far in 2026.
Center Elgton Jenkins (knee) also returned to practice in a limited capacity.
Right tackle Tytus Howard (concussion) did not practice for the second consecutive day.
Running back Dylan Sampson (knee) was upgraded from limited to full.
The rest of Cleveland’s injury report remained the same as Wednesday. Safety Grant Delpit (neck), defensive tackle Mason Graham (ankle), defensive tackle Mike Hall (ankle), cornerback Myles Harden (hamstring), safety Daniel Thomas (ankle), and linebacker Carson Schwesinger (ankle) were all limited.
Browns Clips
After the Browns hosted the Steelers on October 1, Cleveland defensive end Jared Verse had some things to say about the Steelers. More recently, Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward had some things to say about the things Verse had to say, in advance of Sunday’s rematch.
On Thursday, Verse said some more things.
“I’m not worried about Cam, I’m not worried about their O-line, I’m not worried about nobody they got on their team,” Verse said. “We’re out there to go dominate. We’re about to make Pittsburgh ours on Saturday — on Sunday.”
While Verse didn’t completely stick the landing, the point is a strong one. And it turns up the heat on a rivalry that has suddenly taken on much more significance, especially since both teams are 5-2.
The Verse comments rank right up there with JuJu Smith-Schuster’s notorious “Browns is the Browns” remark from the days before a 2020 wild-card playoff game, in which the Browns blew out the Steelers. From Cleveland’s perspective, the most pointed pregame comments about the Steelers came when former Browns defensive tackle Gerard Warren caught the attention of the league office by saying of then-rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, ''One rule they used to tell me: Kill the head and the body’s dead.”
Of course, the most significant on-field incidents happened in 2019, when Browns defensive end Myles Garrett hit Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with his own helmet. Before that, Browns defensive tackle Joe “Turkey” Jones nearly broke the neck of Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw during a game in 1976.
Dislike between the Browns and Steelers has been brewing for decades, so there isn’t much need for any one player to fan the flames of the bad feelings between the two AFC North teams.
Browns defensive end Jared Verse did that after the two teams played in Week 4, however. Verse explained that he doesn’t “have any respect for anybody that plays too dirty and does too much extra s—t after the game” and mentioned double-teaming and sliding while calling his opponents “garbage.”
The two teams meet again in Pittsburgh this Sunday and Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward made it clear that Verse’s comments haven’t been forgotten during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show this week.
“Double teaming, sliding, chipping, are those not allowed in our game? Yeah, I got the bruises to prove it. But we don’t whine about it, baby. It’s part of the game,” Heyward said Tuesday. “So, I’m looking forward to this game. It’s gonna be a fun game. Both teams are in position to do a lot of work in this division, as they say. The AFC North is on fire, and I’m glad I’m in the kitchen because I like it that way. But those were words that were said, and they will be addressed.”
The distaste between the two teams is nothing new, but having both of them playing well at the same time is fairly uncommon. With both teams at 5-2 coming into this week, there will be more than bragging rights at stake for the winner.
The Browns had a significant member of their defense on the sideline at Wednesday’s practice, but concern is low about defensive end Jared Verse missing Sunday’s game against the Steelers.
Verse sat out of practice with a knee injury, but head coach Todd Monken said at his press conference that the team expects him to play this weekend. Monken said Verse had some swelling and the team wanted him to rest.
Right tackle Tytus Howard (concussion) and center Elgton Jenkins (knee) were also out of practice Wednesday.
Safety Grant Delpit (neck), defensive tackle Mason Graham (ankle), defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (ankle), cornerback Myles Harden (hamstring), running back Dylan Sampson (knee), linebacker Carson Schwesinger (ankle), and safety Daniel Thomas (ankle) were all listed as limited participants.
With all the talk about asses and advertisements, it’s easy to forget that a fairly important election is coming in six days.
Plenty of NFL owners are very much aware.
The folks at Front Office Sports have compiled a list of donations made by the people who hold the paper on pro football franchises, based on data from the Federal Election Commission.
The total is more than $18 million, with nearly half of that amount coming from one person. Rob Walton of the Broncos has given $8.95 million, primarily to Republican candidates and political action committees.
New Seahawks owner Vinod Kholsa has given $2.09 million, primarily to Democratic causes. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has donated $1.81 million, primarily to Republican causes. Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have given $1.56 million, primarily to Republican causes. No other owners have given more than $1 million.
Of the top 12 owners who wrote checks to candidates, 10 of them primarily gave to Republican candidates and PACs. Which makes sense. More than anything else, rich people tend to gravitate toward a political philosophy based on lower taxes.
The 5-3 Browns have another reason to celebrate on Monday.
Cleveland announced that defensive tackle Maliek Colins has signed his two-year contract extension with the club.
The deal was agreed to over the weekend.
“Since we signed Maliek in the 2025 offseason, he has been a disruptive player in the middle of our defense and one of the top interior pass rushers in football,” Browns General Manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. “His non-stop motor, selflessness and endless pass rush arsenal make him a perfect fit for our attack-style defense. As much as he has contributed to our defensive success on the field, the things he does behind the scenes are just as impactful.
“For the past two years, Maliek has been THE veteran, stabilizing presence in the meeting rooms, on the practice field and in the facility. His impact on our young defensive line’s growth can’t be overstated. We’re excited to keep Maliek in Cleveland for several more years.”
Collins registered a career-high 6.5 sacks in 12 games with the Browns last season. In seven games so far this year, he’s tallied 3.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, and eight QB hits.
A third-round pick in 2016, Collins has tallied 40.5 career sacks for the Cowboys, Raiders, Texans, 49ers, and Browns.
The Browns are up to four quarterbacks on their active roster.
They announced on Monday that they have activated Dillon Gabriel from the injured reserve list. Gabriel went on the list with a back injury ahead of Week 1 and was at the end of the 21-day practice window that opened when he was designated for return.
Gabriel joins Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and rookie Taylen Green on the 53-man roster in Cleveland. Head coach Todd Monken indicated this summer that he was comfortable with that arrangement and did so again at a Monday press conference ahead of the roster move.
Tight end Carsen Ryan was waived in a corresponding move. He appeared in six games and saw almost all of his playing time on special teams.
The AFC North and NFC North are loaded, to an unprecedented extent in NFL history.
All eight teams in the two North divisions are above .500 after Week 7. Never before has the league had two divisions with every team having a winning record heading into Week 8.
The Browns lead the AFC North at 5-2 because they have the head-to-head tiebreaker with the 5-2 Steelers. The Bengals are 4-2 and the Ravens are 4-3.
The Vikings are 6-0, the only remaining undefeated team in the NFC. The Bears are in second place in the NFC North at 5-2, followed by the Lions at 4-2 and the Packers at 4-3.
If the playoffs started today, the Browns would be the No. 3 seed in the AFC. The Steelers would be the No. 6 seed and the Bengals would be the No. 7 seed. The Ravens would be out of the playoffs.
In the NFC, the Vikings would be the No. 1 seed and the three other teams would be the three wild cards: The Bears would be the No. 5 seed, the Lions would be No. 6 and the Packers would be No. 7 — as they have been each of the last three years.
We’re a long way from the playoffs, but right now, it looks like most of the biggest games down the stretch will be played in the North.
The Browns’ game-winning field goal in Nashville was set up by a 36-yard catch-and-run by tight end Harold Fannin Jr. But a pre-snap penalty probably should have been called.
Right tackle Dawand Jones left early. Watch the play. It was very early. Noticeably earlier than the move perfected in recent years by Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, who routinely utilized the technique of going at the perfect moment to give him a jump on blocking the pass rusher without having the plug on the play pulled by a false-start penalty.
Jones didn’t just leave early. And he didn’t use the far more common single early step with his right foot. He jumped back, like he’d just seen a rattlesnake.
Yes, a similar play happened earlier in the quarter, with the Titans’ right tackle seemingly taking an early step. But that was far closer to the Johnson maneuver. The right leg moved a nanosecond before the snap started. When it’s that close, the officials don’t shut the play down.
Neither was flagged. The Jones play should have been.
Somehow, the Browns have done it again.
With a 32-yard field goal as time expired, kicker Andre Szmyt gave Cleveland a 27-24 victory over Tennessee, keeping the club in a tie for first place in the AFC North.
While the Titans had raced out to a 14-0 lead over the Browns — in part due to a Deshaun Watson interception — the Browns came back to take a 17-14 lead at halftime. Quinshon Judkins rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Szmyt hit a 28-yard field goal to go ahead.
That score held until the fourth quarter, when Joey Slye hit a 29-yard field goal to tie it up. The Browns responded with a Watson rushing touchdown, going up 24-17 with 4:34 left in the contest. But the Titans tied it up again with Tony Pollard’s third rushing touchdown of the day.
Once again, however, Watson was able to engineer a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. He hit tight end Harold Fannin over the middle for a catch-and-run, 36-yard gain — setting up Szmyt for a game-winning field goal.
Though Szmyt banged a 43-yard attempt off the right upright earlier in the fourth quarter, his 32-yard, game-winning attempt was true as time expired.
Watson played one of his best games in a Browns uniform, as the offense put up a season-high 491 yards. Cleveland’s previous high was 372 in the Week 4 win over Pittsburgh.
The quarterback finished 25-of-36 for 308 yards with an interception. It’s the first time Watson has thrown for 300 yards with the Browns. He also had three carries for 19 yards with a touchdown.
Watson has now led a fourth-quarter or overtime game-winning drive in all four of the Browns’ wins. The last time a Browns quarterback had at least five game-winning drives was Bernie Kosar in 1986.
KC Concepcion had eight catches for 129 yards, setting a new career high. He also had three carries for 23 yards.
Quinshon Judkins had his best game of the season, rushing for 96 yards with two TDs while also catching an 8-yard pass.
On the other side, Cam Ward was 20-of-31 for 181 yards with an interception. Pollard, who rushed for a career-high 161 when the Titans played the Browns last year, had 129 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns. He also had three catches for 26 yards.
Titans punter Tommy Townsend suffered a knee injury and was unable to punt during the second half, with Joey Slye taking over the duties. Townsend stayed in the game to serve as a holder.
Now at 5-2, the Browns will be on the road again to face Pittsburgh with first place in the division on the line next week.
The 1-6 Titans will be on the road to play the Bengals.
