The Cleveland Browns may have had multiple reasons for deciding to trade Myles Garrett, despite the legendary pass rusher setting the NFL single-season record for sacks just last year. First and foremost, the organization may have decided that Garrett, through no fault of his own, no longer fit its timeline for playoff contention, so it was best to get whatever they could for him while his value remained high.
The Browns also may have grown tired of the continuing drama surrounding Garrett’s future. He requested a trade last offseason, and in this one, he reportedly never met face-to-face with new head coach Todd Monken.
Cleveland also may have wanted to make room for a younger player to become the face of its defense going forward. Fortunately, the Browns already had someone in place in 23-year-old linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
With Schwesinger coming off the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, analyst Lance Reisland said he believes the young Browns defender is only getting better because he “plays well all the time.”
“[Carson Schwesinger] is one of those guys. Some guys are just good. They’re just always around the ball. They’re always in the right spot. They’re always making really good plays. They seem to have a nose for the football. When you think about Luke Kuechly, Luke Kuechly was the first linebacker that matched this ridiculous athleticism, but he was also really smart. Now [Carson] understands how NFL teams block zone a little bit better, and gap schemes, and how tight ends want to get open in the NFL. That’s the experience part. He’s only going to get better. He’s just a guy after every day you go, ‘He played well again.’ It’s normal. He just plays well all the time,” Reisland said.
It is interesting that Reisland mentions Kuechly, the Carolina Panthers’ Pro Football Hall of Famer, when talking about Schwesinger. After posting 156 combined tackles as a rookie, Schwesinger has an excellent chance to break Kuechly’s record for most tackles by a player in his first two seasons, needing 165 this season to surpass the mark of 320.
Whether he can do that without defenses focusing on Garrett remains to be seen. Edge rusher Jared Verse, who arrived in the Garrett trade, should occupy the attention of opponents enough to allow Schwesinger to remain the sideline-to-sideline force he was in his first season. Verse was the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year, and his arrival gives the Browns a historic pairing never before seen in the NFL.
Along with a strong returning roster and first-time coordinator Mike Rutenberg, the Browns’ defense should remain one of the NFL’s elite, and Schwesinger could emerge as its unquestioned leader as soon as this season.
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