Fans who watched any amount of Cleveland Browns football in 2025 know that the defense was the strongest part of this team’s M.O. They also know that the offense left a lot to be desired and is a unit that needs a lot of work if this team is going to be competitive in 2026.
Repeating a dominant defense isn’t easy to do every year, as roster changeover is natural, and the Browns won’t be rolling out every player that they had in 2025. Plus, their coaching staff is completely different, with a brand-new head coach, alongside two new coordinators.
They’ll have to work just as hard this offseason to prepare, if not harder, if they want to have similar or better success. Judging by the comments made by rookie sensation Carson Schwesinger via an article on NFL.com, this team is already coming up with ideas on how they can stay as consistent as possible.
“One of the big things for us is we wanted to keep a lot of the scheme the same,” Schwesinger said. “So in terms of that, I don’t expect there to be a lot of changes. For me, I’m just ready to go in there and kind of just build off what we did last year and really keep the defense rolling and get in there ready to work and learn whatever I’ve got to learn now and keep doing what we were doing.”
Schwesinger is coming off a season where he won Defensive Rookie of the Year and was already one of the best defenders on this stellar unit. He quickly learned what it took to succeed at the NFL level and is trying to instill that into his teammates.
Myles Garrett is the unquestioned leader of this defense, given his track record and tenure with the club, but Schwesinger is also developing his locker room presence. His teammates clearly respect his game on the field, and if he keeps motivating them and saying the right things, he’s going to earn veteran status sooner rather than later.
The Browns know that a lot of offensive investments are coming, and that they might not be able to obtain talent like Schwesinger in the draft and free agency. But, as long as their returning players stick together and mesh well under new leadership and coaching, there’s no reason to believe that they can’t be a top 10, potentially top 5 unit in the league.
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