CLEVELAND, Ohio — Newly-extended Browns pass rusher Alex Wright recalled a conversation with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz after the Browns hired him in 2023.
“Our first conversation was, I’m going to make you into a star. I’m going to develop you, I’m going to push you,” Wright recalled.
Three seasons into their relationship, Wright signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension, essentially locking him in as the team’s No. 2 edge rusher on the other side of Myles Garrett. It comes after years of trying short-term options on that side of the line.
Wright, a third-round pick by the Browns in 2022, might not be a star yet, but the UAB product has shown enough in his time here for the Browns and GM Andrew Berry to bet on his upside with this extension.
“No. 1, he is a physical presence in the run game,” Schwartz said. “He’s got great size. Some of our best plays on the edge are Alex taking on pullers and knocking tight ends back. And those are things we really value. And he’s rushed really well for us, too, and been a good complement.”
Wright has nine sacks in four seasons, including a career-high five sacks in his first season under Schwartz in 2023, but a promising start to the 2024 season was derailed when he suffered a torn triceps that ended his year.
“We really missed Alex last year,” Schwartz said.
More than anything, the Browns are paying a player who has shown growth under Schwartz, a defensive line savant, and are hoping the extension will age well if that growth continues.
He’s also had the opportunity to learn from Garrett.
“I grew up here,” Wright said. “So it’s like I grew up with learning from Myles and still get to play with Myles. So just developing, just being across from him, it’s kind of like, I don’t want to play with nobody else. And then being under a Coach Schwartz type of defense, this defense is made for me.”
The Browns have been hunting for stability along their defensive line for years, shuttling in veterans like edge rushers Jadeveon Clowney and Za’Darius Smith and interior lineman Dalvin Tomlinson.
This season, perhaps through necessity, they went young at their other defensive end position. The Browns are dealing with dwindling cap space and still recovering from losing three first-round picks in the Deshaun Watson trade.
Wright, 25; Isaiah McGuire, 24, a fourth-round pick in 2023; and Cam Thomas, 25, a former third-round pick of the Cardinals, have done most of the heavy lifting on the opposite end of Garrett.
“It’s a good sign for us that we’re developing some players,” Schwartz said, “and getting production out of guys like Alex and (Isaiah McGuire) and Cam and all across the board.”
That depth has helped as Wright is dealing with a quad injury. He left the Jets game two weeks ago and missed Sunday’s loss to the Ravens but was not placed on injured reserve and expects to be back soon.
Wright’s contract essentially locks him in as the No. 2 behind Garrett, but Schwartz’s defensive lines work in waves, sometimes changing entire lines like a hockey team. It requires depth.
It’s also promising that the Browns have added real long-term options on their line. They spent the No. 5 overall pick in Michigan’s Mason Graham in the last draft and Graham has been a force this season, even if his sack production hasn’t shown up yet.
They also invested a second-round pick in Mike Hall Jr. in 2024. Hall has struggled to stay on the field due to suspension and injury, but he returned from a serious knee injury in Week 8 at New England and, after playing just three snaps against the Jets, had a sack and two quarterback hits in 19 snaps against the Ravens.
One of the goals of this season was to find out about young players and Wright is among that group. Did they have an answer at edge rusher or would they need to invest free agent money or valuable draft capital this offseason?
Extending Wright answers that question for the most part, at least for the next few years. With Graham in the middle, the Browns hope they’ve laid the foundation for the line to remain successful beyond this season.
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