Jim Schwartz is loving the Cleveland Browns revamped defensive line ahead of 2025 season

Talk is cheap, but there's been plenty of it surrounding the Cleveland Browns defensive line throughout the entirety of training camp and the preseason. 

Browns vice president of football operations Andrew Berry dedicated numerous resources to revamping the defensive trenches. First came the re-signing star pass rusher Myles Garrett to a massive extension that at the time made him the highest paid non-quarterback in football. 

Former San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Maliek Collins joined the fold via free agency shortly thereafter, as did former Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. One month later, Berry used the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL draft to also add Michigan standout DT Mason Graham as well. 

Very little was made of the Browns remolded D-line at the time, but with the Browns 2025 season just days away from kicking off, it's become undeniable that the group is arguably the strongest and deepest it's been since head coach Kevin Stefanski was hired in 2020. 

That's certainly not lost on defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz either.

"Our defensive line is much, much improved over last year, and I think we've got back to our personality," Schwartz said Thursday. "We started seeing it back in OTAs, we showed good signs of it in training camp and even though we didn't have our guys on the field a lot during preseason games, we saw it in the practices and we saw it in the preseason games." 

𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) on X 146 seconds of Jim Schwartz raving about the Browns defensive line... As he notes, though, they gotta prove it on the field.

It was hard to miss the unit's dominance during the lead up to the regular season. Even the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles struggled with the Browns defensive front during two days of joint practices in mid-August, prompting second-team All-Pro Jordan Mailata to shared that it's nearly impossible to stop Garrett. 

For weeks now, the defensive line has been touted as the strength as the team, and is poised to carry not only the defense, but the offense too. The key now, is carrying over momentum from camp practices and preseason games to the regular season. 

"One of the biggest things is we're able to play a true form of attack now," Schwartz added. "And we have improved players. I think Isaiah McGuire had a good year last year, I think he's improved over that. Alex Wright is as good as I've seen him. Guys like Cam [Thomas], adding Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, a lot of speed there. Defensive tackles getting some young blood in there.

While everyone else is ready to anoint them, though, Schwartz needs to see it in meaningful games first. 

I think we have the makings of it, but when it's all said and done we gotta prove it on the field. I like where we're going, but lets not crown them just yet." 

Their first test comes Sunday, when Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals travel to Huntington Bank Field to open the season. It's a team the Browns know well. A team they've even beaten before, but with weapons galore on offense, it will take a herculean effort up front to slow them down. 

"It's hard to win versus Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and [Andrei] Iosivas and [Mike] Gesicki and those guys with a quarterback like Burrow," Schwartz said. "Our ability to win inside is gonna go a long way to coming out with a win." 

Pulling that off will be much harder, however, if Garrett is unavailable. The former AP Defensive Player of the Year popped up on the team's injury report with a hip injury that prevented him from practicing Thursday. 

Friday will be telling as to whether or not Cleveland's best position group will be at full strength against its division rival, or have to lean on its immense depth to pull of a stunning upset.