BEREA, Ohio — It's hard to imagine how a season could be any better than the one Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger put together in 2025. His rookie year saw him lead his fellow rookies around the league in a number of stats, which, in turn, earned him the Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. But Schwesinger plans to put in the work to build upon his first year as he enters his second.
During locker cleanouts in January, Schwesinger told News 5 what his goals were heading into the offseason.
"I think the same thing you got in year one, and hopefully, getting better each week again, and now I have a whole offseason to work on that instead of trying to go find a way to get drafted. So it'll be fun," Schwesinger said in January.
The linebacker has taken some time for himself to enjoy the downtime of the offseason. From a trip back to his alma mater, UCLA, to supporting Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel for a youth football event in Hawaii, Schwesinger has been leisurely busy.
"Me and Dillon hang out a lot, and I'm not going to say no to an excuse to go to Hawaii. So it was raining a lot that day, too, but I just wanted to go out there and be able to support him and also take a nice four or five days and sit in the sun," Schwesinger said with a laugh.
But the offseason isn't all about relaxation for Schwesinger. Back in Berea, he has quickly gotten back to work with his teammates during Phase One of the offseason workout program. Lifting weights and conditioning at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus are the main components of this portion of the program. That and, of course, meeting the new coaches the Browns hired this offseason.
New head coach Todd Monken became familiar with Schwesinger last season as he was game planning against him as the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator.
"I remember being in the draft meetings at the place I was previously and them talking about Carson. Obviously, I didn’t do it as the offensive coordinator. I remember them speaking of what his superpower was, who he was. And then to see it when we played against them was impressive. Run, chase, hit, very instinctual, loves football. Outstanding leader. All of those things. And you’re like, ‘Well, they were right. I’m damn glad he’s a Brown," Monken said.
Schwesigner's foundation, which includes 156 total tackles, 11 for loss, nine QB hits, 2.5 sacks, three passes defended, two interceptions, and, of course, that Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, is a strong one to build upon. Monken and the linebacker will get to work together as they aim to continue developing Schwesinger in his second year.
It's a year that Schwesinger aims to make, somehow, even better than his first.
"I think 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," Schwesinger said. "But even just at this time, whether it's improving the football knowledge, football intelligence, right? Or just finding better ways to attack the ball and really get those punch-outs. I think that's something really going to work on this year. Just continuing to grow in terms of patience behind the ball and being able to see things and being ready by the snap."
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