CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Almost a year later, Browns GM Andrew Berry can admit how unlikely of a scenario it was. <\/p>\n
\u201cI guess maybe by way of example, if we were sitting here last year and you would\u2019ve said, \u2018Hey, look, you\u2019re going to take a running back in an off-the-ball linebacker in the early second round,\u2019 I would have said, \u2018OK, that\u2019s probably unlikely based on the player markets, that type of thing.\u2019 <\/p>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s what we did because we felt like Carson (Schwesinger) and Quinshon (Judkins) made the most sense in that moment and they could be long-term fixtures on the roster.\u201d <\/p>\n
The former, Schwesinger, just won the NFL\u2019s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award on Thursday<\/a>, becoming only the second player in franchise history to do so. <\/p>\n His award win was a big bet paying off for Cleveland, after taking the UCLA product at No. 33 overall \u2014 what Berry was alluding to on Tuesday, when he spoke following new head coach Todd Monken\u2019s intro presser. <\/p>\n Schwesinger went from a walk-on at UCLA to a one-year starter in 2024. Appearing in 12 games with 10 starts, he was a consistent finisher and led the nation with 90 solo tackles and 7.5 solo tackles per game.<\/p>\n That output caught the attention of the Browns, who hadn\u2019t made a significant investment at off-the-ball linebacker since drafting Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in 2021.<\/p>\n He proved them right by becoming an immediate contributor. <\/p>\n He led all NFL rookies in tackles (146) and tackles for loss (11). Schwesinger also had 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, three passes defensed and 10 special teams tackles in 16 games, all starts.<\/p>\n More importantly, he was a key part of what so far has proved to be Berry\u2019s strongest draft class, a group that also features defensive tackle Mason Graham, tight end Harold Fannin Jr., Judkins, and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who will be in the thick of the race for the starting QB job this season. <\/p>\n A majority of those players should be \u201clong-term fixtures\u201d on the roster, as Berry said.<\/p>\n But now, the real work is beginning.<\/p>\n The Browns, and Berry, will have to try and copy that 2025 output in a \u201cwhat have you done for me lately?\u201d league.<\/p>\n The Browns have undergone sweeping changes this season, firing head coach Kevin Stefanski after a 5-12 year and eight wins in the last two years.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve hired Todd Monken, and have said repeatedly they will devote a lot of resources, whether it be in the draft, free agency, or the trade market, to fixing the offensive side of the ball. <\/p>\n The Browns are up to 10 picks now in the 2026 draft to try and strike gold again, including two first-round picks \u2014 their own at No. 6 and Jacksonville\u2019s at 24. <\/p>\n Right now, Cleveland is straddling two worlds. They have several older players, including Myles Garrett, who won his second NFL Defensive Player of the Year award on Thursday<\/a>, and Denzel Ward, who are still in their primes. They have a strong group of second-year players, and will have, hopefully, more immediate contributors coming in the class of 2026.<\/p>\n But still, Berry said he projects the Browns to be one of the youngest teams in football in 2026. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s just where we\u2019re projecting based on the amount of draft resources we have and then probably just anticipated activity in free agency,\u201d Berry said this week. \u201cThat combined with having a very young defense, we would anticipate that we\u2019d be a very young team. We\u2019re not necessarily going to be in the phase where we\u2019re going to sign a bunch of mid-30s veterans to put us over the top so to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n As the Browns have gotten younger on defense, they\u2019ll turn and try to do the same thing on offense, particularly among their pass catchers and rebuilding an aging O-line. As far as QB, it may not be the best year to find a long-term answer. The sixth pick isn\u2019t high enough for one of the top prospects in this year\u2019s class, and there won\u2019t be many free agency options. <\/p>\n