The Cleveland Browns made addressing the LB position a top priority in the 2025 NFL Draft with veteran Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah dealing with a neck injury that could threaten his entire career.
Despite selecting UCLA LB Carson Schwesinger with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, one NFL analyst believes the Browns could the best fit for one free agent linebacker who has been a tackling machine over the last four seasons.
Browns Named the Best Fit for Free Agent LB Kyzir White
Since Owusu-Koramoah has been officially moved to the PUP list, USA Today NFL Analyst Tyler Dragon believes the Browns are the best fit for free agent LB Kyzir White entering the 2025 NFL season.
Dragon wrote, “The Browns had an 83.7% tackle efficiency percentage, which ranked last in the NFL for the second consecutive season, per Next Gen Stats. Cleveland’s 2025 second-round pick linebacker, Carson Schwesinger, should help in that department. The team would double down on a weakness with the acquisition of White.”
The injury to Owusu-Koramoah certainly impacted the tackling efficiency metric Dragon mentioned. The Notre Dame product was on pace for over 120 tackles and six sacks last year before his season abruptly ended after their Week 8 tilt against the Baltimore Ravens.
The injury to Owusu-Koramoah likely played a part in the Browns spending the first pick of the second round in the 2025 NFL Draft on a linebacker, but adding a productive backer like White could stabilize the defense with a veteran presence.
Dragon added, “White produced 137 tackles in 17 starts in Arizona last year. He’s tallied four straight seasons of at least 90 tackles.”
White’s 137 total tackles was the second highest mark of his career, but the West Virginia product actually set a career high with 2.5 sacks in 2024 — which mirrored some the pass-rushing chops the Browns saw from Owusu-Koramoah as an occasional blitzer in passing situations.
What Does the Browns LB Room Look Like with Jeremiah Owusu-Koarmoah Being Placed on the PUP List?
The loss of Owusu-Koramoah does hurt, but the defense still has veteran LB Jordan Hicks projected to start alongside Carson Schwesinger as the two primary off-ball linebackers entering the season.
Yet, Hicks is 32-years-old and failed to top 100 total tackles in a season for the first time since 2019 last year. One could make an argument White could be a potential upgrade over Hicks if the organization has the rookie, Schwesinger, penciled-in as a starter to accelerate his development early in his pro career.
Another name in the mix for playing time for this linebacker group is former first-round pick Devin Bush, who finished with 74 total tackles and a sack in his first season with the Browns.
The Browns linebacker group could also benefit from the addition of first-round pick Mason Graham from the University of Michigan, who should immediately step into a starting role at defensive tackle to create a formidable group up front alongside Myles Garrett in 2025.
The veteran linebacker duo of Hicks and Bush combined with a talented rookie in Schwesinger with a talented player like Owusu-Koramoah on PUP may push the need for adding another a veteran linebacker feel a bit unnecessary, but one could make a strong case that White is potentially the best option to produce at a high level in 2025.
