Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett has 'positive' thoughts on Jim Schwartz's new scheme

BEREA — Jim Schwartz's hiring in January to be the new Browns defensive coordinator was met with approval from a variety of different individuals. Among them was one of Schwartz's former players with the Tennessee Titans, Robaire Smith.

Smith, who also spent time with the Browns, raved at the time about Schwartz, both the coach and the person. He also couldn't help but think about one player in particular — All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett.

"With (Garrett) out there, man, I don't think no one's going to be able to block him away the way Jim lets him go, you know what I mean?" Smith told the Beacon Journal on Jan. 17, the day Schwartz's hiring became known. "So, I think with the scheme, if Jim (is) running his scheme, woo, I dunno, it could get scary, man, get very scary."

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Fast forward three months to this week. For the first time, Schwartz and Garrett have been able to actually sit down extensively and talk football as the Browns opened their voluntary offseason program.

Those discussions may just be the introductory phase. That doesn't mean Garrett hasn't been able to take something from them.

"Positive," Garrett described the conversations this week. "We've been talking to scheme a little bit as far as what he expects out of me, where I'm going to line up and the kind of positions I'll be in on first and second down. Haven't really talked about third down yet, but just how he's planning to change my play style, which, from how we've talked, not that much."

Garrett is coming off consecutive seasons with a franchise-record 16 sacks. He passed Clay Matthews as the Browns' "official" all-time sacks record holder last season, and, with 74.5 already, should pass Bill Glass' "unofficial" mark of 77.5 at some point in the first part of next season.

There really isn't much for Schwartz to change in terms of Garrett's individual skill set. The former No. 1 overall pick agrees with Smith in the scheme giving not just Garrett, but every Browns defender, the ability to shine.

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"I don't think his emphasis is making me a better player," Garrett said. "I know he will with what he's doing and the scheme that he's putting out there for us, but he's out there to make us all a better defense. He's out there to get the most out of us and to make the best defense possible for the players he's got out there, and I think his scheme will be tuned towards us, especially the guys up front, letting us go out there and hunt, and he knows he has some great guys on the back end as well."

Garrett is correct in believing the opportunity exists for an all-11 improvement for the Browns defense, which has battled inconsistency over the last two seasons. The last time he became a defensive coordinator, Schwartz took the Philadelphia Eagles from a rank in the 30s before his arrive in 2016 to being the No. 4 overall — and a Super Bowl championship — defense in his second season in 2017.

Schwartz has garnered praise from former players like Smith for his work along the line of scrimmage. He's become the mastermind behind the "wide-nine" defensive front, which stretches the edge rusher out to a nine-technique outside of the tight end.

The reason why Smith and others can only laugh and shake their heads at the potential mayhem Schwartz's scheme and Garrett's talent will create is because of the natural fit between the two. It's almost like a scheme specifically drawn up to unlock the whole potential of one of the league's premier defenders.

"I think it's something I've done naturally," Garrett said. "I don't think it is something I really thought about. It's just my natural width and angle at a nine-technique and he might tune it up a little bit, just to be a little bit more detailed towards what he wants."

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Myles Garrett high on new Browns' defensive scheme from Jim Schwartz