Jim Schwartz may not have been the best hire for the Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns hired Jim Schwartz to be the defensive coordinator, but was he the best pick for the job?

The Cleveland Browns have selected Jim Schwartz to be their new defensive coordinator for 2023, and instantly fans are hopeful for a much better season than the one they had in 2022. Schwartz is a well-known defensive coordinator in the league and someone that many believe will turn around the Browns’ defense.

But the problem is, will he? See, Schwartz may have been a hot pick but his stats really don’t suggest he’s a great coordinator, so much as he’s someone who does alright with good talent. As a coordinator, he’s only had a Top 10 defense three times. Once in 2007 with the Tennesse Titans, once in 2014 with the Buffalo Bills, and once in 2017 with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now, as a coordinator historically he’s on the right side of the Top 16 more than not, with 10 Top 15 defenses. As a head coach? Not so much. In his five seasons with the lions, he’s only had one top-16 finish, the year he got fired in 2013.

Over the course of his career as both a head coach and a coordinator, Schwartz’s average puts him in the middle of the pack most years (17.5). Now, is he a better fit for the team than Brian Flores? Maybe, Flores would more than likely sought to change things up more than the team could afford to, meaning a whole change in the defensive side of the roster.

Schwartz looks like he can make do with what he has. Flores also may have turned down the Browns for all we know, meaning Schwartz could’ve been the best option on the table.

Jim Schwartz will only excel if the Cleveland Browns give him top talent

Some coordinators can turn something from nothing if given a chance, while others can turn good players into great ones. Some coordinators can do well if he has the best talent, and that’s Schwartz.

His best year in Tennessee had him with a franchise legend in Keith Bullock, not to mention Albert Haynesworth before he started getting lazy, regular Pro Bowler Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Cortland Finnegan. Not a team of slouches by any means. All of those guys showed tremendous talent regardless of Schwartz.

In Buffalo, he didn’t so much get players to be better, as he did inherit an incredible front four. Schwartz arrived in 2014 and took over a team that included Mario Williams Jerry Hughes, Marcell Dareus, and Kyle Williams. Williams (13), Hughes (10), Dareus (7), and Williams (10.5) combined for 40.5 sacks in 2013. So it wasn’t so much Schwartz bringing up the level of play, as it was him getting lucky as heck. Plus he only lasted a year.

You could argue his best coaching job was in Philadelphia, where he really only had Malcolm Jenkins and Fletcher Cox as top-level guys. Save for Chris Long, who was good in St. Louis, and Brandon Graham, who’s been even better since Schwartz left, that team was not that impressive as talents. Schwartz did good work in 2017 to get them to be better.

So can he do the job in Cleveland? Yes, absolutely. Can he do it with the talent he has now? Hell no.

The Browns are going to need to invest heavily in the front four, but with the team also re-tooling the offense in the very same year, and only so much money and draft picks to go around, will they even be able to give Schwartz what he needs to succeed?

Only time will tell.