Miami Dolphins 2012 The
Miami Dolphins selected Vernon in the third round (72nd overall) of the
2012 NFL draft. Vernon was the eighth defensive end drafted in 2012. His selection ended a drought of eight years without the Miami Dolphins drafting a player from the
University of Miami. The last one had been
Vernon Carey in 2004. On July 25, 2012, the Dolphins signed Vernon to a four-year,
$2.84 million contract that includes a
signing bonus of $630,080. Throughout his first training camp, Vernon competed against
Jared Odrick,
Randy Starks,
Jonathan Freeny, and
Jamaal Westerman for a job as a starting defensive end. Head coach
Joe Philbin named Vernon a backup defensive end to begin the regular season, behind
Cameron Wake and Jared Odrick. He made his professional regular season debut in the
Miami Dolphins' season-opener at the
Houston Texans and recorded one solo tackle in their 30–10 loss. On September 23, 2012, Vernon collected a season-high five sacks and was credited for half a sack to mark the first of his career during a 23–20 loss against the
New York Jets in Week 3. Vernon's first sack was alongside teammate Jared Odrick, as both of them brought Jets' quarterback
Mark Sanchez down for a six-yard loss in the second quarter. In Week 6, he recorded four solo tackles and made a season-high two sacks on Rams' quarterback
Sam Bradford as the Dolphins defeated the
St. Louis Rams 17–14. On October 28, 2012, Vernon recorded a tackle and scored the first touchdown of his career after recovering a blocked punt by teammate
Jimmy Wilson in the end zone during the first quarter of a 30–9 win at the New York Jets in Week 8. Vernon also blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt by Jets' kicker
Nick Folk in the end of the second quarter. Vernon finished his rookie season in 2012 with 32 combined tackles (25 solo), 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and a touchdown in 16 games and zero starts.
2013 During training camp, Vernon competed against Jared Odrick and
Dion Jordan to be a starting defensive end, opposite Cameron Wake. Head coach Joe Philbin names Vernon and Cameron Wake the starting defensive ends to start the regular season. They began the season alongside defensive tackles
Paul Soliai and Randy Starks. On September 8, 2013, Vernon earned his first career start during the
Miami Dolphins' season-opening 23–10 victory at the
Cleveland Browns. On December 1, 2013, Vernon collected a season-high ten combined tackles (eight solo) and recorded a season-high three sacks during a 23–3 victory at the
New York Jets in Week 13. Vernon recorded one of his sacks on Jets' quarterback
Geno Smith and earned another two by sacking backup quarterback
Matt Simms. He finished the
2013 NFL season with 57 combined tackles (46 solo) and a career-high 11.5 sacks in 16 games and 14 starts. In Week 6, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles and made 1.5 sacks on Packers' quarterback
Aaron Rodgers during a 27–24 loss to the
Green Bay Packers. Vernon started in all 16 games in
2014 and recorded 46 combined tackles (31 solo) and 6.5 sacks. In Week 13, he recorded six combined tackles and made a season-high 2.5 sacks during a 15–13 win against the
Baltimore Ravens. On December 20, 2015, Vernon collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (six solo) and was credited with half a sack in the Dolphins' 30–14 loss at the
San Diego Chargers in Week 15. Vernon started in all 16 games in
2015 and recorded 61 combined tackles (41 solo) and 7.5 sacks. Head coach
Ben McAdoo named Vernon and
Jason Pierre-Paul the starting defensive ends. They started alongside defensive tackles
Damon Harrison and
Johnathan Hankins. In Week 10, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (four solo) and made one sack during a 21–20 win against the
Cincinnati Bengals. On November 27, 2016, Vernon recorded four solo tackles and made a season-high two sacks on Browns' quarterback
Josh McCown during a 27–13 win at the
Cleveland Browns in Week 12. The following week, he made four solo tackles and tied his season-high of two sacks during a 24–14 loss at the
Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13. Vernon finished his first season as a member of the New York Giants with a career-high 63 combined tackles (44 solo) and 8.5 sacks. On November 12, 2017, Vernon recorded four combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception during the Giants' 31–21 loss at the
San Francisco 49ers in Week 10. Vernon intercepted a pass by 49ers' quarterback
C. J. Beathard, that was intended for running back
Matt Breida, during the third quarter. On December 4, 2017, the New York Giants fired head coach Ben McAdoo after the Giants fell to a 2–10 record. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was named the interim head coach for the last four games of the season. He finished the
2017 NFL season with 37 combined tackles (22 solo), 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception, and one sack in 12 games and 12 starts.
2018 On January 22, 2018, the New York Giants announced their decision to hire
Minnesota Vikings' offensive coordinator
Pat Shurmur as their new head coach. Shumur hired
James Bettcher as defensive coordinator and changed the base
4-3 defense into a base
3-4 defense. As a result, Vernon was moved from defensive end to outside linebacker. Vernon entered training camp slated as a starting outside linebacker, but saw competition from
Kareem Martin,
Connor Barwin, and
Lorenzo Carter. Head coach Pat Shumur named Vernon and Kareem Martin the starting outside linebackers to star the regular season. They started alongside inside linebackers
B. J. Goodson and
Alec Ogletree. He missed the first five games (a Week 1–5) due to an ankle injury. In Week 13, Vernon collected a season-high five solo tackles, made two sacks, and one pass deflection during a 30–27 win against the
Chicago Bears. On December 18, 2018, Vernon was named as an alternate to the
2019 Pro Bowl. On December 30, 2018, he recorded five combined tackles and made a season-high 2.5 sacks during a 36–35 loss against the
Dallas Cowboys in Week 17. He finished the season with 30 combined tackles (23 solo), seven pass deflections, and one pass deflection in 11 games and 11 starts. On January 19, 2019, it was announced that Vernon was selected to play in the
2019 Pro Bowl as a replacement for
Khalil Mack who was unable to play due to an injury.
Cleveland Browns On March 13, 2019, Vernon was acquired by the
Cleveland Browns, along with
Odell Beckham Jr., in exchange for
Jabrill Peppers,
Kevin Zeitler, and the Browns' first- and picks in the
2019 NFL draft. In Week 8 of the 2020 season against the
Las Vegas Raiders, Vernon recorded his first two sacks of the season on
Derek Carr during the 16–6 loss. In Week 11 against the
Philadelphia Eagles, Vernon recorded three sacks on
Carson Wentz, including one in the endzone for a safety, during the 22–17 win, later earning the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award. In Week 17 against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Vernon recorded his ninth sack of the season on
Mason Rudolph prior to tearing his Achilles during the 24–22 win. On January 5, 2021, Vernon was placed on injured reserve. Vernon became an unrestricted free agent following the 2020 season. ==NFL career statistics==