It was just announced that Browns DE Myles Garrett and LB Carson Schwesinger are finalists for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award and Rookie Defensive Player of the Year award, respectively.
Garrett broke the NFL record for number of sacks in a season in 2025 with 23, surpassing a 24 year-old record set by Michael Strahan. It’s no secret that Garrett was the most dominant defender in the league this year, and he’s the betting favorite to win the award for the second time in his career.
He
also holds multiple Cleveland Browns sack records such as having the most career sacks and most sacks in a single season.
One of the most overlooked NFL records that he currently has and continues to elongate is that he’s the first player in league history to have 10+ sacks in eight straight seasons, and 14+ sacks in five straight.
Schwesinger, one of Cleveland’s 2025 second-round picks, had an incredibly productive season in Jim Schwartz’s defense. He finished the year with 156 total tackles, 11 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 3 pass deflections, and 9 QB hits.
Despite being so young, he was the heart and soul of the Browns’ defense in 2025 alongside Myles Garrett. His processing speed and play recognition allows him to consistently be in advantageous positions against both the run and pass.
It goes without saying that Schwesinger has an extremely bright future in Northeast Ohio, and starting it off with winning the RDPOY Award would be ideal.
