Thursday ended up being a surreal night for Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger. On the same day that his defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, submitted a letter of resignation in Cleveland, Schwesinger was named 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press in San Francisco at NFL Honors.
Schwesinger hadn’t yet learned about the Schwartz news. He actually found out in real time on Friday morning during a sit down interview with well-known sportscaster Kay Adams.
Browns fans were already feeling the pain after their team’s best-case coaching scenario ended in the worst way possible. The team’s decision to hire Todd Monken as head coach was surprising enough, and the fan base was banking on him forming an elite, veteran coaching tandem with Schwartz.
That’s officially off the table, and Schwesinger’s raw reaction on the Up & Adams show was everything Browns fans needed to hear (even if they didn’t want to).
“This year, I loved playing for Schwartz,” Schwesinger said. “It was a great opportunity for me, and I loved the belief he showed in me. I think that was pretty special. I know, whatever he does, he’s someone who’s been instrumental, especially in this first year I had.
I think one of the things he always harped on was just, you know, every time you take the field, whatever happens, leave it with respect, from the people you played against, the people who were watching. I think that’s something that he shows every day, which is how he works, and how he prepared us and got us ready, and just his attitude. That’s something that I’ll keep with me.”
The Browns’ locker room just got rocked (and Schwesinger’s reaction proves it)
The Browns had been in a holding pattern with Schwartz and their entire defensive coaching staff, hoping to find a resolution to bring him back after he lost the head coach gig to Monken. He remains under contract in 2026, with a team option in 2027, so the drama between the two sides might just be getting started.
As for the locker room? Things just got complicated.
Schwesinger struck a similar tone as Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, and other locker room leaders with his comments on Schwartz and his impact both on and off the field. Garrett spoke highly of the Browns organization during his Defensive Player of the Year acceptance speech on Thursday night, but time will tell how he feels about his preferred coach skipping town.
Cleveland now finds itself in a difficult spot this late in the hiring cycle. The Browns have a couple of internal candidates in safeties coach Ephraim Banda and linebackers coach Jason Tarver who make a lot of sense; the team could also look to poach its next DC from the Houston Texans, like former Browns assistant (and current Texans defensive passing game coordinator) Cory Undlin, or fellow Schwartz disciple Dino Vasso, Houston's defensive backs coach.
No matter how things shake out, this situation represents a worst-case scenario. The Browns have the talent on defense to be fine, but one thing’s for certain: Monken’s first year on the job just got a whole lot tougher.