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Thirty years after Bill Belichick brought him to Cleveland as a scout and assistant, Jim Schwartz is back with the Browns.

Schwartz is the new defensive coordinator of the Browns, who parted with Joe Woods at the end of the 2022 season.

The first candidate interviewed for the position, Schwartz beat out Pittsburgh Steelers assistant head coach Brian Flores, Seattle Seahawks associate head coach/defensive assistant Sean Desai and Philadelphia Eagles assistant Dennard Wilson. Patriots defensive assistant Jerod Mayo withdrew from the consideration to sign a new contract with New England.

Schwartz, 56, has 25 seasons of experience as a defensive coordinator and was head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009-2013.

As a defensive coordinator, he became known for an aggressive approach focused on getting after the quarterback, starting with the Tennessee Titans (2001-08), Buffalo Bills (2014) and Eagles (2016-2020).

With the Eagles, Schwartz was in the building with current Browns general manager Andrew Berry. Berry served as vice president of football operations in Philadelphia in 2019.

In 2020, Schwartz was among head-coaching candidates to interview with Berry to take over the Browns, who hired Kevin Stefanski.

As defensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champion Eagles during the 2017 season, Philadelphia was No. 1 against the run at 79.2 yards per game.

In 2022, Schwartz was senior defensive assistant of the Titans, who led the NFL in run defense. The Browns ranked 25th.

–Field Level Media