The Cleveland Browns open the 2026 NFL season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, and Cleveland enters the matchup as a clear underdog. 

Jacksonville is around an 8-point favorite, and many don’t give the Browns a chance to win this one to start the season. It will be the first start for quarterback Deshaun Watson in nearly two years since his Achilles injury in 2024. 

The Jaguars present a tough test with Trevor Lawrence under center, a quarterback who proved himself in 2025 when he went 13-4 as a starter with 4,007 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

Lawrence is a player the Browns are going to have to respect, but it sounds like Cleveland plans to get after him.

Jared Verse isn’t backing down from the challenge vs Jaguars

Browns defensive end Jared Verse had a bold message on Thursday about facing Lawrence and the Jaguars offense.

“Trevor Lawrence is a great player,” Verse stated. “He can go back there and he can dot you up all day, but he can also run the ball around you if you give him those gaps up the seams. We’re just going to rush and get after him.

“We’re not going to rush scared because you can’t do that with anybody. If you rush scared, he’s just going to be back there dotting you up the whole time. We’re going to get after him. We’re going to get to him. We’re going to hit him. We’re going to try to sack him a couple times, hopefully a lot more than a couple, but we’re just going to do what we have to do to get that win.”

That’s a confident statement from a player who is expected to be one of the stars of this Browns defense. Verse came to Cleveland in the trade with the Los Angeles Rams when the Browns sent Myles Garrett out west. He earned Pro Bowl honors in each of his first two NFL seasons and tallied 58 tackles and 7.5 sacks a year ago with Los Angeles.

Jared Verse could take another leap in 2026

The belief around the Browns is that Verse is still going to take another leap this year and that he has yet to enter his prime as a pass rusher. If that’s the case, Cleveland should have a strong edge presence on its hands.

Getting off to a hot start on the road in his first game in a Browns uniform against a dual-threat quarterback like Lawrence would go a long way for Verse’s 2026 outlook. However, he has to go out and back up those comments now. Saying you’re going to hit Lawrence is one thing. Doing it on Sunday is another.

Sunday’s game will be the first taste of Browns football in 2026, and it will reveal whether Cleveland’s defense resembles the top-flight group Jim Schwartz coached a year ago, with Mike Rutenberg now calling the plays on that side of the ball.