Browns Defender Named As Team’s Most Promising Building Block

The Cleveland Browns may not have seriously considered trading away Myles Garrett if they weren’t confident in the defensive players they had in place. The unit has been one of the best in the NFL over the past three seasons, and as great as Garrett was, he did not do it alone.

At times, it may have seemed like that, and his teammates may have let Garrett do too much of the work. It helped him set the NFL single-season record with 23.0 sacks last year, but it may not have been the best thing for the group as a whole.

Now, even with heralded pass rusher Jared Verse arriving from the Los Angeles Rams in the trade for Garrett, Bleacher Report has named returning Browns defender Carson Schwesinger as the team’s most promising building block coming off an impressive rookie campaign.

“It almost feels unfair to include reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger on this list. However, the UCLA product didn’t earn a Pro Bowl invite or an All-Pro nod this past season, so, technically, he still qualifies as ‘promising.’ And, to be perfectly honest, Schwesinger will likely have a hard time replicating his rookie success now that Myles Garrett is no longer at the heart of the Cleveland Browns’ defense,” Kristopher Knox wrote.

A second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Schwesinger threatened the NFL rookie record for tackles but fell short after sitting out the season finale with a leg injury. He finished the year with 156 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and nine QB hits.

Those statistics may be difficult to duplicate without Garrett drawing almost all of the focus from opposing offenses. But Verse is an accomplished player in his own right who cannot be overlooked, with a chance to put up impressive numbers of his own.

Defensive tackle Mason Graham, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 draft, may have fallen short of his lofty draft status as a rookie, but he is another foundational player as well. Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, looks like a potential fixture in the Browns’ secondary, which could eventually move on from five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward and veteran safety Grant Delpit.

First-time defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg has a lot of talent to work with, but he would be wise to make Schwesinger the focal point of the Browns’ defense for years to come.