CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns defensive line has the potential to be one of the most dominant units in football in 2025.
Not only does it have tremendous depth and players who are tailor-made for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s attacking scheme, but it also brings a rare combination of length, power, and speed that makes it a nightmare for opposing offenses.
Schwartz thrives on rotating waves of disruptive linemen, keeping them fresh and allowing the front to dictate the game. Their dominance in the joint practices and preseason action against Philadelphia was a great indicator of just how good this group can be, showcasing their ability to control the line of scrimmage against one of the NFL’s top offensive fronts.
This defensive line has the size, athleticism, and strength to consistently win battles up front while also possessing the technical skill to overwhelm blockers in one-on-one situations.
Their dominance will ultimately be defined by three key traits:
Outstanding reaction time paired with violent hands and proper extension to shed blocks;
Rare movement skills and natural bend that allow them to pressure the pocket from multiple angles;
A versatile pass-rush game plan that enables Schwartz to attack capable protections in a variety of ways.
Together, these qualities give the Browns the makings of a defensive line capable of taking over games and setting the tone for the entire defense.
Let’s take a look at the three specific reasons that make this defensive line special:
1. Tremendous reaction time with violent hands
The foundation of the defensive line under Schwartz is built on the ability to react instantly to the snap, recreate the line of scrimmage backwards, and use violent hands for extension and to finish plays.
By keying the ball and exploding off the line, the group immediately puts offensive linemen in a reactive state, disrupting both pass sets and run blocks before they can develop. Their penetration consistently resets the line of scrimmage in the backfield, collapsing run lanes and forcing quarterbacks off their launch points, which is the core principle of Schwartz’s attack first scheme. None of this works without violent hands, sudden and forceful strikes that allow defenders to shed, extend, and disengage from blockers with authority.
Below, Maliek Collins demonstrates great get-off, then wins with violent hands and extension. That extension lets him recreate the line of scrimmage backwards, reset the gap, and locate the football.
Myles Garrett and Isaiah McGuire working the “get off” drill at mandatory minicamp. This is the foundation of the Browns defensive line. Explode off the snap, get your hands on the offensive lineman, and recreate the line of scrimmage backwards. Schwartz wants his guys to play fast.
McGuire beats the tight end on the pin block with pure aggression and get off. His explosive first step is the key, letting him react fast and beat the blocker to the spot. McGuire does exactly that here.
Rookie Adin Huntington is a perfect scheme fit for Schwartz. His reaction to the snap of the football and relentless aggression are two of the main reasons he made the 53-man roster. In the clip below, he attacks the A gap, beats the center’s reach block, rips through, and creates chaos in the backfield.
2. Movement skills and bend
The Browns’ defensive front becomes extremely difficult to handle because of the ability to slant, twist, stunt, and bend at a high level. By slanting, they can quickly change the gap responsibilities of the offensive line, forcing blockers to react on the fly. Twists and stunts add another layer, creating confusion as linemen trade assignments and struggle to pass defenders off cleanly.
What makes it even more dangerous is the bend of their edge rushers, especially Garrett, who has the best bend in the NFL. When a pass rusher can bend, they give the offensive lineman very little surface area to block, making it nearly impossible to land a solid punch or control the rep. Short-area explosion and quickness enhance all of these traits, allowing defenders to gain leverage and turn pressure into disruption before the offensive line can adjust.
The Browns also have edge rushers who are big enough to slide inside and play defensive tackle on passing downs, creating matchup nightmares for offensive guards who suddenly have to block powerful, explosive athletes in tighter spaces. Garrett’s ability to dip, flatten, and corner at sharp angles to the quarterback sets the tone for the entire group. The Browns create chaos at the line of scrimmage, making it nearly impossible for an offensive line to consistently pick up every movement and block them effectively.
Garrett’s movement skills and ability to bend are just on another level. That rare bend lets him reduce his surface area, stay low, and turn the corner without losing speed or power.
Garrett has great carry over from practice to the game. Watch as he uses a speed rush with bend to beat the Jets tackle. He has the best bend in the NFL and that ability to dip, rip, and flatten gives offensive tackles very little surface area to block.
Watch rookie Mason Graham diagnose the pullers, get skinny, drop his pad level, then bend outside. At 300 plus pounds, Graham shows outstanding bend and agility with elite lateral quickness, short area burst, and pure athleticism.
Collins with a slant/angle stunt showing his ability to move laterally then up field.
3. Scheme combined pass rush game plan
Schwartz’s defensive scheme is built around creating one-on-one opportunities for his linemen by using aggressive alignments, slants, and pressure looks that force offenses to block straight up without consistent double teams. Once those match-ups are isolated, each player in the front has an elite pass rush plan tailored to their skill set whether it is power, speed, bend, or techniques like hand over, single swipes, double swipes, swim moves, bullrush, long arm, and rip techniques.
The beauty of the scheme is that it does not just rely on talent, but it maximizes that talent by ensuring rushers can execute their moves without constant help sliding their way. The result is a defensive line that attacks relentlessly and dictates protection schemes, often overwhelming opposing offensive lines with both technique and numbers.
Here are just a few schemes from this year’s preseason games:
Below is a tackle/end twist stunt that opens up A gap.
Below is a scheme where Schwartz puts both defensive tackles on one side and blitzes two linebackers from the other side.
Below is a five-man pressure with wide-three and wide-five techniques and a blitzing linebacker.
Here are some pass rush moves from the defensive line:
Single arm over with bend around the corner from Cameron Thomas
Graham shows a jab step inside with a double hand swipe into a speed rush.
Garrett pushes the edge with just speed and bend that he will often counter with an inside move as the offensive lineman oversets outside.
What we learned
The defensive line has to be dominant every game for the Browns to win. With Schwartz’s scheme unleashing their rare blend of size, power, speed, and technique, this group has shown they can overwhelm some of the best offensive lines in football.
If they continue to play with the same reaction time, bend, and relentless energy we saw in the preseason, the defensive front will not just complement the rest of the roster, it will set the ceiling for how far this team can go.
Lance Reisland is the former coach at Garfield Heights High School, where he spent 18 seasons as an assistant for his father, Chuck, and four as head coach, from 2014 to 2018. In 2018, his team finished 11-1 and appeared in the OHSAA Division II regional semifinals. That team went 10-0 and made history as the first Garfield Heights team in 41 years to have an undefeated regular season along with beating Warren G. Harding for the first playoff win in school history.
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