The Browns finished the 2024 season with a 3-14 record, the worst in Kevin Stefanski‘s 5 year stint with the franchise. The weak link was their linebacker group. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, the Browns’ leading tackler with 61 tackles, three sacks, and 10 tackles across eight games, missed most of the season due to a neck injury. It led Stefanski to look for answers in the 2025 NFL Draft, which solely got all the hype for Shedeur Sanders.

Enter Carson Schwesinger. A former UCLA walk‑on turned 2024 third-team All‑American, he exploded in his final college season with 136 tackles, nine TFLs, four sacks, and two interceptions, including a game-clinching pair against Iowa. According to Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com, “He could be…special right away. That’s what I heard about Carson Schwesinger…The Browns believe he can start immediately at middle linebacker.”

That’s not rookie-speak. The Browns aren’t soft-balling this pick. Instead, they’re chasing speed and smarts. Pluto says Kevin Stefanski is “enamored with his speed” and praised that he picked up Jim Schwartz’s defensive system quickly. He’s already being compared to Jeremiah Owusu‑Koramoah in his rookie readiness, an insinuation of playmaking, instincts, and rapid development.

On the business side, Cleveland didn’t hesitate to invest. Schwesinger received a fully guaranteed four‑year, $11.8 million contract upon signing in May. He became the second 2nd-round pick in NFL history to do so, following Jayden Higgins. It’s a bold statement; they aren’t treating him like a project, they’re treating him like a starter.

If Schwesinger delivers anywhere near where the scouts believe he can, the Browns may have finally found the foundation they’ve been missing at that position. Schwesinger’s path, from unranked recruit to full-time starter, has all the signs of a rare rookie ready to lead. And if early buzz holds? Cleveland may have landed exactly what it needed, a leader at linebacker, right out of the gate.

For the most part, fans are excited about their QB room. It includes both veterans and rookies.

Kevin Stefanski still undecided on Shedeur Sanders

There was a time not long ago when everyone deemed Shedeur Sanders a surefire first-round pick. But as the Cleveland Browns inch closer to announcing their starting quarterback, Sanders’s name has slipped far down the depth chart. And the noise surrounding his NFL future is only getting louder.

According to former Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who cited a source inside the Browns’ facility, the quarterback battle isn’t even including Shedeur Sanders at this point. “I was told it’s really coming down to Kenny Pickett or Dillon Gabriel,” Houshmandzadeh said on the Nightcap podcast. “Now when you get the reports that Shedeur’s completing seven out of nine passes, [is it] against starters? Or is it against the threes and the fours?” That skepticism isn’t new.

During a June 10 minicamp session, Sanders reportedly completed 10 of 12 passes with two touchdowns, per practice reports. But Cleveland.com’s Ashley Bastock noted that Sanders was working behind Pickett, Gabriel, and Joe Flacco, ranking him fourth on the current pecking order. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi created confusion by reporting that Sanders’ roster spot isn’t even guaranteed heading into training camp.

Still, head coach Kevin Stefanski hasn’t closed the door completely. “They are both wired to get in early, stay late, put in whatever work is required,” he said of both rookies. “They’re sponges in the meeting room,” Stefanski added. And praised their work ethic, even if it hasn’t yet translated into first-team reps.

With training camp opening July 25, the clock is ticking for Sanders to change his narrative.