What were the Cleveland Browns like the last time Jim Schwartz worked here

Jim Schwartz will have his second stint with the Cleveland Browns but what was his first one like?

The Cleveland Browns hired Jim Schwartz to be their new defensive coordinator this week, replacing Joe Woods, and in doing so, they brought back a former staff member. Schwartz worked for the Browns once before, as a personnel scout. He stayed with the franchise up until and after it moved from Cleveland to Baltimore in 1996. That’s when he became a defensive coach for the first time in the pros, handling the outside linebackers for the unit.

So while Schwartz wasn’t part of the defensive coaching staff in 1993, 1994, or 1995, those were the three years Schwartz acted as a team scout. Due to that, we thought it’d be fun to look back at those past Browns’ units at the time to see what they were like.

After all, it’s always nice to see what things looked like at the beginning of a story, and for Schwartz, his time in Cleveland in the 1990s is the beginning of his story as a defensive coach.

What were the Cleveland Browns like during Jim Schwartz’s first stint with the club?

1993

In 1993, the Browns said goodbye to three franchise legends, as Bernie Kosar was let go mid-season, while defensive stalwarts Mike Johnson and Clay Matthews played their last snaps for the club before moving on to Detroit and Atlanta respectively. The Browns’ offense was governed by Vinny Testeverde, who had a young Keenan McCardell to throw to, while the ground game saw Tommy Vardell put together his best season as a pro while splitting time with Eric Metcalf.  The team went just 7-9 under Bill Belichick, his second straight year with that record. The Browns were a mediocre team, with an offense and defense ranked 15th and 17th respectively (out of just 28 teams).

1994

In 1994, the team was greatly improved. The Browns’ offense was now 11th in the league. Testaverde was firmly in control of the offense now and he did his usual thing but it was the ground game that greatly improved. Metcalf and Vardell were back but Vardell only saw five games. Instead, Leroy Hoard put up 1,300 yards from scrimmage on his way to a Pro Bowl, while franchise icon Earnest Byner returned for one more stint with the club. The defense was the best unit in the NFL, rated first out of all 28 teams. The unit carried four Pro Bowlers in former New York Giants All-Pro linebacker Pepper Johnson, safety Eric Turner, Ravens legend Rob Burnett and perennial Pro Bowler for Cleveland, Michael Dean Perry. The team went 11-5, and defeated the New England Patriots in the Wild Card round, before falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

1995

The team came crashing back to earth in 1995. Testaverde put in his best statistical season of the three years, but the team was never worse on offense, ranking 25th. Howard took a step back in efficiency and production but Byner saw some of his old form return in relief. McCardell also saw his stock jump up in what would be his last year with the franchise before going to Jacksonville where he’d become a team icon. Defensively, the team fell to 20th, with declining play from Pepper Johnson, as well as injuries to Eric Turner. The biggest issue for the squad was franchise star Perry joined up with Denver, leaving a void the team couldn’t fill. The team went just 5-11.