3 early standouts at Cleveland Browns 2023 training camp
• Jim Schwartz has the Browns D fired up
• Don't forget about David Bell
By Randy Gurzi
2. Jim Schwartz, Defensive Coordinator
This was an impressive offseason all around for the Cleveland Browns but one move stood out above the rest — hiring Jim Schwartz as the defensive coordinator.
Joe Woods had issues keeping the team on the same page and despite having some talented players on the roster, they were a mess in 2022. Schwartz comes in known for his ability to build great defenses and has a Super Bowl ring to show for his work.
It helps that general manager Andrew Berry went out and added Dalvin Tomlinson, Juan Thornhill, Rodney McCleod, and Za'Darius Smith, but they still needed someone to point them all in the right direction. Schwartz is the right man to do that and we already see his fingerprints on this defense.
On Tuesday when the Browns took the field for 7-on-7 drills, it was the defense that stood out. According to Tony Grossi, they shut the offense down 11-of-15 times in the goal-line drills.
Day 4 of training camp is a wrap and we FINALLY saw some real football things. @TonyGrossi has the scoop on:
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 25, 2023
- A day DOMINATED by the defense
- 15 red zone plays and only 4 TDs
- Greg Newsome looking for fresh start with Browns
- Injury updates
Presented by @BetMGM pic.twitter.com/u1ezdzQbPY
It's not abnormal for defenses to be ahead of offenses at this point but as Grossi pointed out, this unit was fired up — which is the way Schwartz approaches the game.
His passion is being shown on the field by the players and the more confidence they can gain now, the better it will be for them when the regular season begins.