Teams in the NFL have to win the battle in the trenches to win games, and Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz knows all too well how much of an advantage he has with the defensive line talent he has at his disposal.
In a recent interview after practice at the Browns’ OTAs, Schwartz told the media about his plan to leverage the depth he has up front to overwhelm opposing offensive lines.
“I think we got a lot of interchangeable spots,” Schwartz explained. “We’ll play a lot of guys up front. We’re not just going to play four guys. We’ll roll through eight, maybe even nine guys at times, trying to keep guys fresh and keep them throwing 100 mph fastballs.
“The tempo that we want those guys to play, we need to rotate fresh troops in. Offensive lines don’t sub, but we can. We can keep the pressure on those guys and we can play to a high standard with that depth.”
With the likes of Myles Garrett and newly acquired edge rusher Za’Darius Smith to anchor the outside of the line on passing downs, Schwartz should have no issue finding consistent production from his front four.