One didn’t have to be a football savant to realize that the Cleveland Browns were in for a tough season in 2022.
Deshaun Watson was expected to serve a lengthy suspension, and no team can win in this league without their starting quarterback behind center, at least not on a consistent basis.
However, perhaps their biggest issues came on the other side of the field.
Despite being the no. 10 defense in total yards (343.6) and the fifth-best against the pass (196.2), the Browns were a bottom-seven team against the run (135 rushing yards per game) and ranked 20th in points against (22.4) and 19th in third-down conversion percentage (39.5%).
So, it became evident that something needed to change, which is why it wasn’t surprising to see that Defensive Coordinator Joe Woods wasn’t going to come back for next season.
Notably, the Browns sure did their homework, hiring former Tennessee Titans assistant Jim Schwartz to be their next Defensive Coordinator.
Schwartz’s reputation as a defensive guru is well-deserved.
He’s orchestrated the best defense against the run three times in his career, including last season.
Also, his 76.5 rushing yards allowed per game were the second-best in Titans franchise history, according to Browns beat writer The Buffalo.
#Browns made a point to fix their run D with their next DC
Jim Schwartz has had a top 5 run defense 8 yrs as a coach (7 as a DC)
In 2022 his defense not only best in the NFL against the run for the 3rd time in his career, the 76.5 ypg was 2nd best in Titan's franchise history pic.twitter.com/Ik9g1Rs0ZH
— Mac🦬 (@tha_buffalo) January 17, 2023
He’s also had a top-five run defense eight times as a Head Coach and seven as a Defensive Coordinator, so they couldn’t have dreamed of a better fit to solve their woes.
This will be Schwartz’s second stint with the organization after serving as a personnel scout from 1993-95 before he got his first job as a defensive assistant in the league.
