The Cleveland Browns, who are now 2-6 after an embarrassing loss to the New England Patriots, haven’t had many bright spots this season. One of the few bright spots for the team has been Carson Schwesinger. The rookie linebacker has been having a breakout year for Cleveland, but it was unfortunately brought to a halt on Sunday.
Schwesinger left the Week 8 game early with an injury, limping off the field, and early signs point to an injury that will temporarily sideline him. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Schwesinger is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain. While the rookie will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, Rapoport emphasized that players are usually sidelined four to six weeks with high ankle sprains.
#Browns LB Carson Schwesinger, one of the best rookies in a stellar class, is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 26, 2025
He’ll have an MRI, but those are typically 4-6 week injuries. He left the locker room in a boot. pic.twitter.com/fFP43akoBS
Carson Schwesinger could miss time for Browns with high-ankle sprain
Things were already bad in Cleveland, but losing Schwesinger for an extended period of time would just knock things down even lower. The second-round pick showed up for the Browns and immediately established himself as an impact player. Starting at inside linebacker, Schwesinger is the green dot, despite being a rookie, which means all defensive plays are radioed in to him.
After eight weeks, it’s safe to say Schwesinger is a candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and is likely leading the race. Starting all eight games, the rookie linebacker has 64 tackles, four for a loss, one sack, and on Sunday, he recorded the first interception of his career.
Unfortunately, Schwesinger‘s campaign might now be put on hold. The Browns do have a bye week in Week 9, which will help the linebacker, and other players in Cleveland, get healthy. However, if the MRI reveals that Schwesinger has a high-ankle sprain like Ian Rapoport said, he could still miss games after the bye week. That would be terrible for a Browns team that already has so much going wrong.