BEREA, Ohio — Carson Schwesinger has continued to find ways to impress, whether it’s leading the team in tackles or being named the NFL Rookie of the month.

But the latest impressive feat has gone under the radar.

“Coming back in a couple weeks from a high ankle — I mean, it wasn’t like it was magically healed in two weeks,“ defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. ”He had to really push through that. I’ve been really proud of him, and I know his teammates are too, they respect that.”

Schwesinger was injured in a Week 8 loss to the Patriots.

He devoted the Browns’ Week 9 bye to rehabbing, and was able to return in Week 10 against the Jets. In that game, he led the team with nine tackles with two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits as well.

The rookie has yet to miss a game in this frustrating 3-11 season, even though he’s been a frequent addition to the injury reports in recent weeks. He was limited on both Wednesday and Thursday this week.

“Yeah, I think you’re going to feel something like that for the rest of the year, but it’s just kind of how it is now,” Schwesinger said.

But has it impacted his play significantly?

“No, I wouldn’t go out there if I think it would affect me in games, but it’s just a matter of trying to stay on top of it throughout the week,” Schwesinger said.

The numbers back him up.

He leads the Browns defense with 125 total tackles. He’s also tied for the team lead with two interceptions — Devin Bush and Ronnie Hickman also each have two.

Schwesinger, the No. 33 pick out of UCLA, continues to be a favorite for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He has the second-best defensive grade among all rookies at 75.8, according to Pro Football Focus. The only rookie ahead of him is Dallas edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, who’s got a 76.9 overall grade.

In November, in the midst of working his way through the high ankle sprain, Schwesinger led all NFL rookies with 39 tackles and six TFLs for the month despite the Browns only playing four games. He was the only NFL rookie to record at least one TFL in each game in November.

At his middle linebacker position, it’s helped that there’s been very few ways for opposing offensive coordinators and QBs to try and avoid him.

“It’s not like a corner where you can throw away from or a pass rusher that you can run away from or you can chip to and stuff like that,” Schwartz continued. “It makes it a lot harder because he’s right in the middle of the defense. He’s played outstanding for us.”

Schwartz, a notoriously tough critic, hasn’t been shy about heaping praise on the rookie.

Last month, Schwartz said Schwesinger’s command of the defense as their green dot player was even ahead of Hall of Famer Ray Lewis’ during his rookie season.

But Schwesinger’s toughness has added another layer to that respect from his coordinator.

“You guys see the injury report every week,” Schwartz said. “He has a lot of times on Wednesdays and Thursdays that he’s not practicing very much. He has really impressed me with his toughness and his ability to play through some injuries and some pain. That shows a lot of grit, that shows a lot of toughness.”

Throughout the Browns’ losing this year, they can at least count Schwesinger as a win.

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