The Cleveland Browns knew that winning on Sunday would only hurt their chances of getting the No. 1 pick. They didn’t care.
Kevin Stefanski’s team went out there looking to spoil the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season. They did just enough to keep the chains in motion on offense, and absolutely shut them down on defense.
Notably, plenty of that had to do with Carson Schwesinger. The rookie linebacker gave the fans a major scare in the first half when it seemed that he was going to have to leave with an injury.
Instead, the rookie out of UCLA stayed on the field and managed to play through it. Following the win, Schwesinger gave his teammates a heartfelt speech about how he’s never going to leave the game when he feels like he can still go:
“I’m gonna fight until I can’t walk. You’re gonna have to carry me off the field,” he said.
“I’m gonna fight until I can’t walk. You’re gonna have to carry me off the field”. – 2026 DROY #Browns LB Carson Schwesinger #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/5BC9JZJCeO
— CLEology (@_CLEology) December 29, 2025
That’s the type of competitive fire you want to see in all of your players, especially those who are projected to be at the forefront of the project for years to come. Schwesinger has already become a leader on and off the field, and he’s the clear-cut candidate to run away with Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
It’s never easy to find a silver lining after a losing season, and this campaign has been a major disappointment from start to finish. Still, this rookie class is clearly a light at the end of the tunnel, and players like Schwesinger have already proven to be special competitors worth building the team around for years to come.
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