During the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns addressed several position needs on both sides of the ball. Those needs have continued to see progress during free agency with the signings of several notable players.
Of those free agents, linebacker Quincy Williams has been an exciting addition to the team.
In a recent segment of Orange and Brown Talk with Mary Kay Cabot, Dan Labbe, and Ashley Bastock, the co-hosts talked about Williams’ role with the Browns.
“I think the Quincy Williams signing is really interesting,” said Labbe. “He’ll go into that Devin Bush role…if the linebackers are doing the same thing they were under Jim Schwartz, I think he’ll fit really well in how they used to describe it as, ‘just go cover kicks.’ I think he’ll fit really well in that role.”
Both Labbe and Cabot noted that the Browns’ coaches and defensive coordinators (including Jim Schwartz and Bill Belichick) have a history of bringing in “their guys” from their previous teams. Those particular players helped with the transition of defensive calls and game plans and were the “enforcers.”
Cleveland’s new defensive coordinator is Mike Rutenberg, who since 2013, has spent time on the coaching staff of the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, and Atlanta Falcons before coming to Cleveland. Williams played under Rutenberg in 2019 when both were in Jacksonville, and Rutenberg was the Jags’ assistant linebackers coach. They were reunited in 2021 when Williams went to the Jets, and the coach was in charge of the linebacking unit in the Big Apple.
Originally, Williams was a third-round pick of Jacksonville out of Murray State in 2019. He played two years with the Jags before playing five years with the Jets. Since 2021, he has rarely missed a game while piling up triple-digit tackles between 2021 and 2024. Williams was a first-team All-Pro in 2023 after a career-high 139 total tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception, and 10 passes defended.
Last season, he started in 12 games and had 83 tackles, a career-high 3.5 sacks, and seven passes defended. Of note: when Williams and Rutenberg were together in New York, the Jets’ defense went from 32nd overall in 2021 to fourth overall in 2022.
As of now, Williams will be the starting strong-side linebacker and play next to Carson Schwesinger.
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