A fairly overlooked topic this offseason has been Cleveland’s linebacker room, aside from the fact that Carson Schwesinger just made the NFL’s top-100 players list for 2026. With Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah still away from the team and Quincy Williams being the only other established player in the room, it’s surprising that we haven’t talked about it more this offseason.
One of the safest takeaways that we can gain from the current state of the linebacker room is the simple fact that new DC Mike Rutenberg
is going to pretty much live in a nickel/4-2-5 defense in 2026.
It’s really just Schwesinger and Williams for the Browns, and then a massive drop-off behind them.
Either this defensive staff is unusually high on players like Nathaniel Watson, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, and rookie Justin Jefferson, or they simply don’t mind having these types of players for depth because they’re unlikely to see the field much this season. I think it’s pretty safe to assume that the second scenario is the correct one in this case.
Winston Reid has shown the ability to contribute sparingly in the base defense in the past, so he could be a factor as well at MIKE in 2026, though his true value is on special teams. Both Reid and Edefuan Ulofoshio are pretty good on the kick and punt return teams, and if UDFA Reid Carrico even makes the roster, he’ll be in that same boat as well.
As of right now, Cleveland will probably only keep five linebackers on their initial 53-man roster, as that’s the norm with defenses that base out of nickel.
Here’s what the Browns’ linebacker depth chart could look like heading into week one against Jacksonville:
As we can see, it’s not the most impressive group that the team has ever had. There’s a chance that Andrew Berry and Co. are waiting until roster cutdowns to try and claim somebody, but it’s realistic to think that they probably would’ve just signed another free agent if they wanted to add to the room. There are still plenty of proven, cheap free agent linebackers available right now.
It really feels like they should add another player here, so it’s going to be interesting to see what ultimately happens as we get closer to the 2026 season.
What are your thoughts on Cleveland’s current linebacker room? Join fellow Browns fans in the comment section below.
