BEREA — Carson Schwesinger hated missing practice but found a silver lining in all the time on the sideline.
“Yeah, it’s pretty frustrating,” the middle linebacker said Saturday. “It’s cool also to be able to watch the guys. I think seeing what Easton (Mascarenas-Arnold) was able to do and get in there and run the show was pretty cool, especially since we came in together and we basically learned this defense together.
“The hard part was trying to just be able to stay mentally locked in every day and still find ways to learn and get better even though you’re not getting those reps out on the field.”
Predicting the initial 53-man roster
Schwesinger returned to practice last week in an extremely limited capacity. He declared himself back Saturday after missing nearly a month. He wouldn’t divulge the injury.
“It’s just football. Sometimes things happen and you got to try and be smart about it,” he said. “That’s basically it. I’m ready to roll now.”
Browns LB Carson Schwesinger doesn’t divulge what the injury was that sidelined him. Said he’ll be back today. pic.twitter.com/ylM7Vpm42Z
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) August 29, 2026
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Schwesinger, the reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, did a lot of watching during the dog days of training camp. He was there every day for the individual and team drills and the installations. His restlessness was obvious last week, as he ran a series of sprints during portions of the team drills.
“That’s why we have a great training staff and great coaches that obviously are there to protect us and in some cases protect us from ourselves,” he said. “So, yeah, I’m ready to get back out there. They know the thing with me is when I’m out there, I’m going 100 percent. So we’ve obviously checked everything we need to so that I’m able to do that.”
He’s prepared to “hit the ground running” mentally after the missed time and has two weeks to prepare physically for the opener Sept. 13 in Jacksonville. He said the injury won’t linger into the season.
“It’s just getting the body back ready to roll,” he said. “It’s just being willing to go out there and run to the ball again when I’m out there and get the body back in shape. So I’m not too worried about that.”
Coach Todd Monken said the team proceeded with caution with Schwesinger’s injury, focusing on getting him back to practice with a couple of weeks left before the opener. Monken faced him twice last year as offensive coordinator of the Ravens.
“He just kind of grows on you,” Monken said. “The way he plays the game, the way he sees it, he’s decisive. Once he pulls the trigger, he goes.
“He’s just a fantastic athlete who does a great job during the week, of anticipating what you’re going to do offensively. And this defense, I think, fits him like a glove. Allows him to run and hit.”
After being the No. 33 pick out of UCLA, Schwesinger didn’t need long to establish himself as a critical piece of one of the NFL’s best defenses. He was all over the field during training camp and didn’t stop during the season.
He led NFL rookies with 146 tackles, which ranked eighth overall, and 11 tackles for loss. He also led the league with six straight games of double-digit tackles, while adding 2.5 sacks and two interceptions.
He insists there’s “a lot” of room for improvement.
“There’s every aspect of the game we want to talk about, getting better at stopping the run, getting better at seeing the formations before the ball is snapped, better at dropping in coverage, rushing the passer,” Schwesinger said. “I think every area of my game has room to improve and that’s what I’m trying to do this year.”
He said the complex offensive system brought by Monken tests the defense daily with a multitude of plays, formations and motions.
“So we’re able to get a ton of looks that you don’t normally see and we’re able to learn from them and get ready and really hammer everything out,” he said.
In Schwesinger’s absence, Mascarenas-Arnold moved into the middle spot and called the plays. He was undrafted out of USC in 2025 and made the team primarily as a special teamer, playing 16 games with one start and nine tackles. He’ll open the season as the No. 3 linebacker in the base defense and remain a key special teamer.
“Just the confidence he has when he steps on the field has been huge,” Schwesinger said. “It’s not easy to go out there and call the plays and run the show defensively. And so him being able to go out there and really there wasn’t a step lost. The control of the defense and being able to get all the calls and everything like that.
“And then just, too, the effort to the ball, you can really see it with him. You saw it on the interception two days ago. At the end of the day, to him, the ball’s oxygen.”
That’s the motto of new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg. The players have taken it to heart with more than 20 interceptions in practice and three in the three preseason games.
“Every play, obviously you have your assignment, your alignment, your technique. But at the end of the day, you got to be thinking about the ball and going and getting the ball,” Schwesinger said. “And that stems from that mindset is all those turnovers.
“You can see that it’s on guys’ minds. That’s what happens when you preach that type of mindset is it gets drilled in when guys are out there. It doesn’t matter, maybe you miss your assignment, all this, but at the end of the play, all you got to be thinking about is the ball. So getting to the ball, running there, punching out, getting tips, getting overthrows, everything like that.”
