12 players that Jim Schwartz has coached in the past the Browns could pursue

New Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has a history of working with players that he coached previously, so we look at 12 guys who fit the bill the team could add this offseason.

The Cleveland Browns have a brand new, veteran, defensive coordinator heading into the 2023 season. Jim Schwartz will be calling the defense as part of head coach Kevin Stefanski's staff for the Browns, after most recently seving as a "senior defensive assistant" for the Tennessee Titans the past two seasons.

Schwartz was last a defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016-2020, which included winning a Super Bowl in 2017 on Doug Pederson's staff. Before that, he had a head coaching stint from 2009 to 2013 with the Detroit Lions, served as a defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills (2014) and Tennessee Titans (2001-2008), and was a personnel scout for the Browns from 1993-1995.

One trend that I have noticed with Schwartz, as is likely with most NFL coaches, is that he tends to coach some of the same players for multiple teams. Dating back to his first go-round as a defensive coordinator with Tennesee, Schwartz has taken some players with him from stop to stop.

From the Titans, Schwartz took Stephen Tulloch and Kyle Vanden Bosch to Detroit when he became a head coach, and even coached Tulloch again in Philadelphia. Schwartz coached Darius Slay when he came into the league in Detroit, and once again as an Eagle. From just his one year in Buffalo, he took a liking to Nigel Bradham, Leodis McKelvin and Nickell Robey-Coleman enough to get them to Philadelphia as well.

In this article, we will highlight 12 different players that Schwartz has coached at some point in his time in the NFL that the Cleveland Browns could potentially bring in to help on the defensive side of the ball.

1. Ndamukong Suh, Defensive Lineman

This first player would not be the first option for the Browns, by any means. Ndamukong Suh is now 36 years old and played in just eight games for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, after signing midway through the year to help shore up the run defense for the team's Super Bowl run.

While both have now been in Philly, it was just with the Lions that Suh and Schwartz worked together, and was where Suh broke onto the scene in Schwartz's defense as Defensive Rookie of the Year and First-Team All-Pro in his first season in 2010. Suh four All-Pro teams and four Pro Bowls in Detroit under Schwartz, with many using Suh's level of play to show how Schwartz can elevate defensive tackles.

Schwartz has utilized many older, veteran defensive tackles in the past, so it truly isn't out of the question. There are certainly some options at the position that would seem more favorable to Browns fans, but the familiarity and the experience make it a possibility worth noting.