The Cleveland Browns may have had an abysmal record in 2025 and fired their head coach, in part thanks to a putrid offensive display, but their defense was remained highly regarded throughout the year. So much so that at the 15th annual NFL Honors show on Thursday evening, two members of the Browns earned the top defensive awards on the night.
Rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger was voted the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and defensive end Myles Garrett was voted the AP Defensive Player of the Year.
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Schwesinger, a second round pick at No. 33 overall this past year, played in 16 games and registered 146 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, 9 quarterback hits, 2 interceptions, and 3 passes defended. He also added 10 tackles on special teams.
Garrett reclaims his throne, as he was also the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. This season, Garrett registered 60 tackles, a record-breaking 23 sacks, 33 tackles for a loss, 39 quarterback hits, 1 pass defended and 3 forced fumbles.
Arriving at the Red Carpet
Here are clips of when Schwesinger and Garrett arrived on the red carpet. Safety Grant Delpit was also there.
Jon Hamm hosted the actual show that aired on Peacock and NBC. During his monologue, he made reference to Garrett being in attendance, and compared it to Michael Strahan and one day having a broadcasting career and being responsible for giving Terry Bradshaw his pills. Don’t shoot the messenger. The bits weren’t even good on the show, and it’s not because I care about people poking fun at Cleveland.
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Mid-way through the show, Hamm brought out a fake 60-year old guy who is on the Browns’ practice squad trying to be a quarterback. He did have one decent joke toward the end, when the ‘old guy’ said that Garrett’s single-season sack record was basically more impressive considering he didn’t face the Browns.
Assistant Coach of the Year
Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels was the Assistant Coach of the Year, with 17 first-place votes. After winning the award in 2023, Jim Schwartz did not receive any first-place votes this year. It goes to show you that while players can still win awards on teams with bad records, that becomes almost impossible for a coach.
Defensive Player of the Year
Michael Strahan hit the stage for the first televised award of the night, and that means we knew that Garrett was up first. The top contenders were Garrett, Cowboys DE Micah Parsons, Broncos DE Nik Bonitto, Texans DE Will Anderson Jr, and Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson. Garrett was the unanimously selected to win the award, receiving all 50 first-place votes. Garrett thanked his teammates, friends, and family for helping make this possible.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
The winner was Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan, who had 41 first-place votes. Saints QB Tyler Shough, Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson, Giants QB Jaxson Dart, and Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka were next in line.
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Comeback Player of the Year
The winner was 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey, who had 31 first-place votes. Following him were Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, and Patriots WR Stefon Diggs. Colts QB Philip Rivers received a first-place vote.
Coach of the Year
The winner was Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who goes from being a helper on the Browns’ staff last year to a prestigious award this year. In a somewhat tight race, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen was second, followed by the Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald, Bears’ Ben Johnson, and 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
The winner was Schwesinger, who received 40 of 50 first place votes. Other players receiving consideration were Seahawks DB Nick Emmanwori, Falcons DE James Pearce, Falcons S Xavier Watts, and Giants DE Abdul Carter.
Offensive Player of the Year
The winner was Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had 14 first-place votes. Other players with consideration were 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey, Rams WR Puka Nacua, Falcons RB Bijan Robinson, Patriots QB Drake Maye, Rams QB Matthew Stafford, Bills QB Josh Allen, and Cardinals TE Trey McBride.
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Most Valuable Player
The winner was Rams QB Matthew Stafford, who had 24 of 50 first place votes. He narrowly beat out Patriots QB Drake Maye, who had 23 first place votes. When you tally up all the votes, Stafford had 366 points to Maye’s 361 points. The other players receiving some consideration were Bills QB Josh Allen, 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey, and Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence.
Hall of Fame Class of 2026
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