Carson Schwesinger was picked in the second round out of the UCLA Bruins in the 2025 NFL Draft. One season in the pro league, he has already picked up the NFL All-Time Great buzz. But now that in the 2026 season, he will be without his former mentor, Jim Schwartz, he got honest about his future plans.

Schwesinger has locked in a Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2025. While it was indeed an honor, he is not in the mood of settling down. 

“Yeah, that was pretty cool,”  Schwesinger said on Wednesday, April 8, via Cleveland.com. “But now I guess the mindset is just what's next? Keep building off of it.”

Schwesinger was the perfect addition to the defense. In his rookie season, he totaled 156 combined tackles, ranking sixth in the NFL, including 67 solo stops.

At the 2025 NFL awards, he and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, set another record. They became the fourth-ever defensive end and rookie linebacker duo to win their respective awards in the same year in 22 years.  

But again, Schwesinger's is chasing a higher bar and improving himself in the process.

"There's a lot of things to get better at, whether it's just the preparation throughout the week, game week and figuring out really what to watch, how to watch film and things like that," he said. "Just continuing to grow in terms of patience behind the ball and being able to see things and being ready by the snap."

But the defense is going to look different from last year.

How is Carson Schwesinger dealing with Jim Schwartz's exit

Schwartz’s departure was certainly a big blow to the franchise that depended on him to uphold the unit. With him, the Browns ranked fourth in total defense, allowing just 283.6 yards per game, while their 53 sacks set a franchise record and ranked third in the NFL. 

In January, Cleveland passed over him to appoint an offensive-minded Todd Monken as the head coach. After that, Schwartz walked out of the building. Definitely, a chunk of Schwesinger’s success goes to Schwartz.

 “This year I loved playing for Schwartz, it was a great opportunity for me,” Schwesinger shared his gratitude for the former coach on The Up and Adams Show. “I loved the belief he showed in me. It was pretty special.” 

But Schwesinger looks forward to chasing success under new Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg.

“Obviously everyone loves Schwartz and we all loved playing for him, but the mindset still is the same. We’re going in and we’re finding out how we can be the best defense we can be with the coaches that are around us," said the Browns linebacker.

Will the Browns witness a good chemistry with the new coach as they did with Schwartz-Schwesinger? Share your thoughts.

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar