Browns phenom linebacker earns Defensive of the Week honors

The offense may be lost, but at least the Cleveland Browns’ defense is on a roll.

And, rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger has played a huge role in that.

The second-round draft pick out of UCLA was named the NFL’s Week 11 Defensive Rookie of the Week, taking the honor over five other candidates, after a monster performance against the Baltimore Ravens. It’s the first time he’s won this recognition all season.

1 INT | 10 tackles | 2 TFL@Browns LB Carson Schwesinger is your Week 11 @pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week. pic.twitter.com/YSPT9CvB6M
— NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2025

Schwesinger led the Browns with 10 tackles, two tackles for a loss, one pass defended and one interception of Lamar Jackson, during a 23-16 loss.

Currently, Schwesinger is the overwhelming betting favorite to take home the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, with moneylines ranging from -225 to -275 in most sportsbooks.

For the season, has already tallied two interceptions, 1.5 sacks, eight tackles for a loss and five hits on the quarterback, in addition to the 85 total tackles which place him as team leader for the season.

Schwesinger, selected with the first pick of the second round during last April’s NFL Draft, could write some pretty special football history, if he ends up taking Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, and his teammate Myles Garrett --who is also the betting favorite by a wide margin -- ends up taking the Defensive Player of the Year Award, again. The only time one team claimed both awards for the same season was in 1981, when Giants’ Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor captured both. No team has ever done it through two different players in the same year.

“Carson's playing like an All-Pro linebacker,” stated future Hall of Fame right guard Joel Bitonio of the rookie, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. "Yeah, I mean, I'd be surprised if he isn't an All-Pro at this point," added safety Grant Delpit of Schwesinger to the same outlet.

There’s no doubt that Schwesinger has been one of the bright spots for Cleveland this season, as part of a rookie class that has made immediate contributions. Fellow second-round rookie Quinshon Judkins has been carrying the load for Cleveland on the ground, while third-round tight end Harold Fannin Jr. leads the Browns in catches and receiving yards.

However, Cleveland’s two most important rookies have been a disappointment, so far.

Third-rounder Dillon Gabriel has been atrocious at times as the team’s starting quarterback, and Shedeur Sanders, a fifth-rounder, didn’t exactly set the world on fire like some predicted, once he got his first live reps last weekend, after Gabriel sustained a concussion.