Dawgs By Nature
Developing some superlatives for Cleveland’s linebacker room this year
The Cleveland Browns were dealt a fairly large blow when it was announced that Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah would be out for the entire 2025 season, but luckily for them, their linebacker room is more talented than ever.
We’re going to take a look at some superlatives for the linebacker room, which currently consists of eight players heading into OTAs next week.
Mohamoud Diabate
Diabate has been getting better each year, and he proved that he could handle a larger workload in 2024 when he started 11 games and was in on 70% of the team’s total defensive snaps.
With the JOK news and the opportunity to solidify his spot in the 2025 linebacker rotation, Diabate could be headed for a productive year alongside Jordan Hicks, rookie Carson Schwesinger, and Devin Bush.
Devin Bush
Based on Bush’s past of declining after a strong year, he may take a step back in 2025 for multiple reasons.
It’s also no secret that he’s dealing with some off-the-field issues, and the NFL could still take action because he technically violated the league’s Personal Code of Conduct policy.
Easton Mascarenas-Arnold
Mascarenas-Arnold is a decent athlete and was a fairly productive collegiate linebacker, but his best role in the NFL might be as a career special-teamer.
It’ll be hard for him to overcome that label as a rookie UDFA, and the Browns already have Winston Reid (who they re-signed this offseason) in that type of role.
If it comes down to keeping Reid or Mascarenas-Arnold, Jim Schwartz is undoubtedly going to keep Reid.
Carson Schwesinger
Schwesinger has the type of elite athleticism and above-average processing skills to make an impact as a rookie at multiple positions in the second level. He could end up starting at MIKE or SAM in 2025 and be incredibly effective in either spot.
If he makes the Pro Bowl as a rookie, it shouldn’t be surprising to anyone in Northeast Ohio.
Nathaniel Watson
Though it may not be a huge surprise, releasing Watson would be an odd thing for Andrew Berry and Co. to do so early in his career.
Berry loves to give his draft picks at least two to three full seasons of evaluation before giving them the boot.
Depending on how many linebackers the team decides to keep this year and who stands out in camp, Watson could end up being on the outside looking in this summer.
Do you agree with these linebacker superlatives? Join fellow Browns fans in the comment section below.
