The Cleveland Browns’ season has unraveled in the standings, but one constant has cut through the frustration: rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger. Through 14 games, the No. 33 overall pick has not only held up physically through injuries, he has become the defining presence of Cleveland’s defense.
“He just turns into a monster,” veteran linebacker Jerome Baker said earlier this week. “Off the field, he listens and kind of just does everything right. On the field, he’s just a different beast.”
That contrast has defined Schwesinger’s rookie year. He has yet to miss a game despite battling a high ankle sprain and appearing on the injury report in recent weeks. Limited practices have not slowed his production, and the Browns have taken notice of both his durability and his edge.
Playing Through Pain, Producing Anyway
Schwesinger suffered the ankle injury in a Week 8 loss to New England and spent Cleveland’s Week 9 bye rehabbing. He returned in Week 10 against the Jets and immediately set the tone, leading the team with nine tackles, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz pointed to that stretch as a defining moment.
“Coming back in a couple weeks from a high ankle, I mean, it wasn’t like it was magically healed in two weeks,” Schwartz said. “He had to really push through that. I’ve been really proud of him, and I know his teammates are too.”
The results have been undeniable. Schwesinger leads the Browns with 125 total tackles and is tied for the team lead with two interceptions alongside Devin Bush and Ronnie Hickman. In November, while still managing the ankle, he led all NFL rookies with 39 tackles and six tackles for loss, becoming the only rookie to record at least one tackle for loss in every game that month.
Rare Company for a Rookie Linebacker
League-wide, Schwesinger’s impact stacks up against veterans. Among all NFL linebackers through Week 15, he ranks fifth in run stops, tied for fifth in interceptions, tied for seventh in pressures, and sixth in tackles. Pro Football Focus grades him as the second-best defensive rookie in the NFL at 75.8, trailing only Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku.
His counting stats are equally eye-opening. Schwesinger has recorded 133 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three pass breakups, and two interceptions, including 14 tackles in Sunday’s loss to Chicago, his sixth straight game with double-digit tackles.
That production has already placed him in Browns history. Schwesinger is tied for ninth-most tackles in a single season in franchise history, alongside Joe Schobert’s 2019 campaign. At his current pace of 161.5 tackles, he is tracking toward Patrick Willis’ rookie record of 174 set in 2007.
The Browns may be 3-11, but Schwesinger represents something sturdier than the record suggests. In a season short on wins, Cleveland has found a foundational piece, one who listens during the week, turns loose on Sundays, and is rapidly building a Defensive Rookie of the Year resume.