Many people argue that the outcome of the quarterback battle will define the Browns’ season. Others believe it is our receiving core, or how the rookie running backs fare in rejuvenating our run game, or if our DB room can return to form. They’d all be wrong.
The player most important to our success this season is our rookie linebacker, Carson Schwesinger.
To say that losing Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah last year hurt is an understatement. Ever since he was drafted in 2021, he has been a leader on the field and a focal point of our defense, so when he went down in Week 8 of last season, his absence was noticeable. Our defense was not playing its best football to start the year, don’t get me wrong – but it felt like the whole team fell apart without the anchor that is JOK to hold them down. We gave up 4.5 more points per game in weeks 9-18 than we did in weeks 1-7 and while Devin Bush was a solid replacement, he didn’t carry the same presence that JOK does. When news broke that Owusu-Koramoah would not see the field at all in this upcoming season, it put all the more pressure on a rookie that many analysts called a reach when he was drafted 33rd overall.
To be completely honest, I had barely heard of Schwesinger when I first saw the pick. Researching him and watching his film, though, made me optimistic that he might actually be able to play JOK’s role in Jim Schwartz’s defense. At the college level, the instincts are there. The speed is there, the work ethic is there, the ability to stop both the run and the pass – it’s all there. But we haven’t seen him play in the NFL and his next month and a half will make or break our season.
Carson Schwesinger’s short-term development is more important than that of Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders, who can sit behind the veterans if they aren’t ready to run an NFL offense come September 7th. It’s more important than that of Mason Graham, who has plenty of help along the defensive line, and that of Harold Fannin, who has David Njoku to lean on. The rookie running backs’ development is important too, but even they might be sitting behind Jerome Ford (or in jail) if need be. Schwesinger will be starting for us in under two months and he will be trying to fill the shoes of a top-15 NFL linebacker as a rookie.
I’m not saying that Carson Schwesinger has to be as good as Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. I don’t know whether he can walk in and immediately make a game-changing impact, or if he can become a part of our defensive identity the way JOK did. Judging by what I’ve seen and heard out of this offseason, though, none of it is out of the question – so watch him closely. He’s looked great so far, but if he can’t step up and fill the glaring hole that has been left in our defense, I’m not sure any of our linebackers can.
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