Todd Monken Doesn’t Want To Compare Carson Schwesinger to Luke Kuechly Just Yet

One of the sells of Todd Monken taking the job coaching the Cleveland Browns was the dominant defense that Cleveland has put forth in the past couple of seasons. Myles Garrett was the biggest name, for good reason, but he has been traded away in favor of a younger group.

Denzel Ward is back and getting extended; Grant Delpit also got extended and is back, but Cleveland’s second-leading tackler, linebacker Devin Bush, signed with Chicago at the start of free agency. Cleveland signed Quincy Williams to fill that void, but it is a good thing their leading tackler will be right back in the middle of that defense in Carson Schwesinger.

Recently, Schwesinger has been drawing comparisons to former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who is set to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 8th.

Earlier this month, an NFL team personnel executive said that Schwesinger was “Luke Kuechly reincarnated.”

Monken was asked about the resemblance between the two:

“First off, let’s pull it back a little on Luke Kuechly, who to me is one of the all-time greats. I love Carson; that is not on him, but that dude, he’ll get there.” Monken started with.

“I know Carson will get there, but Luke Kuechly was a complete pain in the a**, calling out what you were doing and the checks; that guy was fantastic, and Carson is headed that direction.”

Monken did point out some contrast between the two, though: “He’s not as vocal right now because of being sure of himself and what we’re doing.” Monken did play into the likeness also: “In terms of how he plays, how he attacks the game, and he’s all over the field, very similar.”

While Kuechly is a lofty analogy, their rookie years were very comparable.

Both won Defensive Rookie of the Year; Kuechly recorded 164 combined tackles, and Schwesinger had 156. Tackles for loss were nearly equal: Kuechly recorded 12 and Schwesinger 11, but Schwesinger took the edge in sacks, with 2.5, while Kuechly had just 1.

In terms of pass defense, the two were also similar: both intercepted two passes, while Kuechly defended seven passes to Schwesinger’s three.

Their frames are also freakishly parallel: Kuechly, standing at 6’3 and 238 lb, and Schwesinger is also listed at 6’3 and just four pounds heavier at 242 lb.

Schwesinger also commented on the similarities:

“I think it’s always great to be compared to the players who you look up to. At the same time, I’ve just played one year. Just keep stacking the years, the days, and just trying to get better every day I show up.”

The two also chatted over the phone recently, Schwesinger noting that he was a great resource to have to learn about the ins and outs about the linebacker position.

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