The NFL Honors are in full swing as Super Bowl 58 is on the horizon, and numerous players and coaches are being recognized for their performances throughout the 2023-2024 NFL season.
Jim Schwartz captained a fearsome Cleveland Browns defense this season that made life incredibly difficult on opposing offenses, which led to him winning Assistant Head Coach of the Year. Here’s an in-depth look into the coaching tenure of the Browns’ defensive coordinator.
Jim Schwartz Wins 2023-2024 Assistant Head Coach of the Year
Schwartz has no shortage of coaching experience during his time in the NFL. He entered the coaching ranks all the way back in 2021 as the defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans and retained that role all the way through the 2008 season.
Schwartz parlayed the success of his defensive units’ performances into the head coaching position of the Detroit Lions in 2009, in which he inherited a talented rookie QB out of the University of Georgia, Matthew Stafford. The team struggled in Schwartz’s inaugural season but showed signs of growth over the next several seasons.
The peak of Schwartz’s performance as the head coach of the Lions was in 2011 when the team went 10-6. However, the inability of the team to make consistent postseason pushes led to Schwartz being let go at the end of the 2013 campaign.
While the team failed to reach the expectations set forward by the ownership of the Lions, Schwartz’s defensive units were consistently a handful for opposing offenses to navigate week in and week out. This fact led to Schwartz being a sought-after candidate for defensive coordinator openings around the league after his firing.
Schwartz spent the next season in Buffalo before taking a year off in 2015. He would land in Philadelphia the year afterwards and would occupy the defensive coordinator role from 2016-2020.
However, the veteran coach took some time away from a substantial role in an NFL coaching staff over the next several seasons before taking on the DC title under Kevin Stefanksi in Cleveland this past year.
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The result was a dominant defense that consistently got the most out of its talented players. DE Myles Garrett totaled 14 sacks in 16 games this year, and CB Denzel Ward was widely regarded as a lockdown corner.
The Browns’ aggressive nature under Schwartz’s scheme led to the team allowing the fewest yards per game with just 272 and totaling the sixth-most sacks in the league with 49.
With the Browns finding a late-season resurgence — thanks to QB Joe Flacco’s performance combined with the defensive dominance — Schwartz was regarded as the favorite to land this award going into the evening.
Time will now tell as to whether or not this recognition will lead to Schwartz landing another head coaching position in the NFL sooner than later.
As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!