The Cleveland Browns traded Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams earlier this week, and former Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz broke his silence on his resignation for the first time since departing the organization shortly after. Cleveland’s defense, which ranked among the best in the NFL over the last three seasons under Schwartz with Garrett leading the charge, now faces a dramatically different outlook heading into 2026.

Schwartz resigned from his position after the Browns passed him over for the head coaching job in favor of Todd Monken, who was hired away from the Baltimore Ravens. The timing of Schwartz’s public comments, coming shortly after Cleveland dealt its best defensive player, adds another layer to an offseason defined by change.

Jim Schwartz felt he earned the job to be the head coach of the Browns

“We had a lot of success on defense, and the Browns made a change at head coach, and they passed over me, with all the success that we had and the ability to develop players, our best players had their best years, all those different things,” Schwartz stated via the Ryan Ripken Show. “That was the decision they made. They wanted to go with an offensive guy [and] they chose Todd, I’m fine with that.

“They can make decisions that they want to make. But they can’t expect me to stay on board for that. Anybody that’s in any business, you get passed over for a promotion, when you’ve done a really, really good job in your job, and you think you were in line for that promotion, it’s time to go.”

Cleveland fired Kevin Stefanski following a 5-12 season in 2025 and conducted a lengthy coaching search before settling on Monken. Cleveland’s decision to give Monken his first head coaching opportunity rather than offer Schwartz a second chance at the position did not sit well with the veteran coordinator.

Schwartz previously served as Detroit’s head coach from 2009 to 2013, compiling a 29-51 record during that five-year stretch with the Lions. His tenure in Cleveland, though, painted a different picture. Under Schwartz, the Browns fielded one of the league’s most productive defensive units. Garrett posted 23 sacks last season and won his second Defensive Player of the Year award. Carson Schwesinger earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Players like safety Grant Delpit and safety Ronnie Hickman ascended under Schwartz’s guidance.

Schwartz indicated he felt his body of work over the last three seasons warranted the promotion. For anyone in any profession, getting passed over for a position they believe they’ve earned makes returning to the previous role a difficult proposition.

Browns’ defense will look dramatically different in 2026

Cleveland hired Mike Rutenberg to replace Schwartz as defensive coordinator. The Browns now enter the 2026 season without both the coordinator who built their elite defense and the player who anchored it.

The defense carried the Browns through much of the last three years while the offense struggled to find its footing. Losing both Schwartz and Garrett in the same offseason represents an interesting dynamic for 2026 and even beyond. 

The timing of Schwartz choosing to speak publicly after the Garrett trade is notable. Schwartz stayed quiet through the coaching search, through his resignation, and through the early stages of the offseason. He waited until the Browns moved on from Garrett to share his perspective, a decision that I don’t believe to be coincidental.

The Browns are banking on Monken to turn the offense around and lift the franchise out of consecutive losing seasons. Cleveland addressed several offensive needs through the 2026 NFL Draft and free agency. The coming months will tell whether Rutenberg can maintain some of what Schwartz built or whether the Browns suffer a substantial decline without both Garrett and their former defensive coordinator.