Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger put together a strong rookie season, finishing sixth in the league in tackles and winning Defensive Rookie of the Year. Schwesinger totaled 156 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, and three pass deflections across 16 games. He also added 18 pressures, 37 run stops (seventh-best among qualified LBs), a 9.2% stop rate (tenth-best), 78 total stops (tenth-best), and allowed a 98.7 passer rating in coverage.
Although the Browns hired Mike Rutenberg to replace Jim Schwartz as the defensive coordinator, Cleveland will remain a 4-3 scheme with similar concepts, and this should not dramatically impact Carson Schwesinger. However, Rutenberg is expected to use three-safety packages and to blitz more.
The Cleveland Browns’ reigning DROY makes his debut on the Top 10 position rankings
Dec 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) is sacked by Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger (49) during the second half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
In an ESPN article written by Jeremy Fowler, NFL coaches, executives, and scouts identified the top 10 off-ball linebackers heading into the 2026 NFL season. Voters ranked Carson Schwesinger the third-best player at the position, with one personnel executive calling him Luke Kuechly reincarnated. Fowler also added that Schwesinger was one of three players in 2025 with at least two sacks, two interceptions, and ten tackles for loss.
“‘He’s [Luke] Kuechly reincarnated,’ a personnel executive with an NFL team said. ‘Elite speed, athleticism, instincts, ball skills.’
“In 2025, Schwesinger was one of three players with at least two sacks, two interceptions and 10 tackles for loss. The others were pass rushers — Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt and Indianapolis’ Laiatu Latu. He was the first rookie to reach that mark since Shaquille Leonard did it in 2018.
“Schwesinger finished his rookie campaign with 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, 156 total tackles (11 for loss), a body of work that earned him Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Some scouts and coaches want to see him do it again before placing him in the top two, though.
“‘Plays fast, excellent instincts, good in coverage,’ a high-ranking AFC evaluator said. ‘Impressive for a rookie.'”
Schwesinger does not expect a lot of changes to the defense
“One of the big things for us is we wanted to keep a lot of the scheme the same,” Schwesinger said, via Christian Gonzales of NFL.com. “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.”