Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Troy Fautanu addressed Cleveland Browns EDGE rusher Jared Verse's comments ahead of a crucial Week 8 matchup between the two teams.
While speaking with reporters on October 29, Fautanu offered not to directly respond to Verse's claim from directly after Cleveland's 27-24 victory in Week 4 over Pittsburgh that the Steelers were "dirty".
"I don't know what he's talking about honestly," Fautanu said. "I got no comment, I'm just excited to play this game. We're gonna go out there and continue to play our game."
Fautanu also noted that Verse's comments have not fired him up personally and that he's approaching this week's bout with the Browns as "just another game".
"Personally not really," Fautanu said. "It's just another game, I'm gonna approach it as such, and it's a big game because it's the next game."
Sep 13, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu (76) lines up during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Fautanu's move from right tackle to left tackle this season has come with its ups and downs thus far.
The 2024 first-round pick has allowed 20 total pressures and four sacks over seven games this year as compared to 31 pressures and three sacks across 17 contests in 2025 (per Pro Football Focus ), meaning he's regressed a decent amount from a statistical perspective in pass protection.
In what was arguably Fautanu's best performance of the campaign vs. Cleveland in Week 4, though, he allowed just a single pressure and no sacks over 46 reps as a pass blocker (per SumerSports ). That included 16 snaps in which he took on Verse, and Fautanu shut him out over that span.
With both the Browns and Steelers sitting atop the AFC North at 5-2, even if the former currently holds the tiebreaker due to a 2-0 record within the division while the latter is 1-1, this week's game is among the most consequential regular season matchups between the two sides in quite a long time.
The exchange of words has only added to the rivalry and excitement for the contest too, with Cameron Heyward stating on "The Rich Eisen Show" on October 27 that Verse's comments "will be addressed," while the latter added on October 29 that Cleveland is "about to make Pittsburgh ours."
Verse has been quiet this season (zero sacks, 12 pressures per PFF ) after arriving in the trade that sent Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in June, but the Browns' defense as a whole is tied for the third-best pressure rate in the NFL at 42.7 percent (per SumerSports ) and has recorded the sixth-most sacks of any team with 20.
Cleveland sacked Aaron Rodgers five times in its victory over Pittsburgh earlier this season, and though the Steelers' offensive line has certainly improved as the year has gone along, the unit has still given up 22 sacks (tied for second-most in NFL, per SumerSports).
Limiting the Browns' pass rushers will be paramount to coming away with a victory, and Fautanu's matchup with Verse in particular is one that Pittsburgh has to gain the upper-hand in.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi as Steelers' Troy Fautanu Responds to Jared Verse Smack Talk .
