It might be hard to conceive that Carson Schwesinger can be any better than he was as a rookie for the Cleveland Browns last season. The linebacker threatened the NFL record for tackles by a first-year player and was an overwhelming choice as the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.
However, the former college walk-on didn’t get to where he is by resting on his laurels. That is why the second-round pick out of UCLA believes there are even better days ahead.
With the Browns’ voluntary offseason program getting started, Schwesinger recently revealed how he’ll improve in his second NFL season, with a focus on weekly preparation.
“I think there’s a lot of things to get better at, whether it’s just the preparation throughout the week, game week and figuring out really what to watch, how to watch film and things like that,” Schwesinger said. “But even just at this time, whether it’s improving the football knowledge, football intelligence, right? Or just finding better ways to attack the ball and really get those punch-outs. I think that’s something [I’m] really going to work on this year. Just continuing to grow in terms of patience behind the ball and being able to see things and being ready by the snap.”
Coming out of college, Schwesinger was praised for his high football IQ. That trait translated very well into the NFL, as he made his mark almost right away.
An impressive training camp was followed by an outstanding first season. He made 156 combined tackles with 11 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions while starting 16 games. If not for a leg injury that kept him out of the season finale, he could have gotten closer to the NFL rookie record of 174 total tackles, which was set by San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis in 2007.
If Schwesinger can duplicate his rookie production, he would have a very good chance of challenging the NFL record for tackles in a player’s first two seasons. It is currently held by Luke Kuechly, who had 320 total tackles in his first two years with the Carolina Panthers, which means Schwesinger would need 165 this season to break that mark.
Schwesinger and the rest of his defensive teammates will be working under first-time coordinator Mike Rutenberg, after Jim Schwartz resigned this offseason. The first steps of implementing the system have begun, and Schwesinger seems to be ready for the challenge.
With newcomer Quincy Williams joining the linebacking corps as another prolific tackler, the Browns’ defense should remain among the league’s best, even without Schwartz calling the shots.
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