Schwartz 'Incredibly Grateful' for Last Two Years with Titans

Two years as senior defensive assistant gave him the opportunity to recharge, and now he is the Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator.

For the last two years, Jim Schwartz was a voice of experience.

That does not mean that Mike Vrabel, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen or any other member of the Tennessee Titans coaching staff listened to everything he said.

“My role was different,” Schwartz said Friday when he was introduced as the Cleveland Browns’ new defensive coordinator. “My job was to be a mentor. My job was to give an extra set of eyes. My job was to make suggestions and not be ruffled if they’re not acted on.”

Schwartz was Tennessee’s senior defensive assistant in 2021 and 2022. It was an under-the-radar role that kept him out of the day-to-day grind and away from any media responsibilities after 20 consecutive seasons in which he was either a defensive coordinator or head coach, a run that began in 2001 when he was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator for the Titans under then-coach Jeff Fisher.

His addition to the staff coincided with the promotion of Bowen to defensive coordinator. At the time, Bowen was 34 years old, had five years of experience as an NFL assistant and never had been a coordinator at any level.

“My job was not to be the coordinator,” Schwartz said. “But my job was to help the coordinator and to help the position coaches, and maybe say, ‘Hey, look you do it this way. I’ve had success doing it this [other] way in the past. You might want to try this.’”

It was a step back that he sought when he allowed his contract to expire after five seasons as defensive coordinator – and a Super Bowl win – with the Philadelphia Eagles. And it provided him with a break that did not require him to step away from the game.

“It was a great fit,” Vrabel said Friday. “It worked out well for us and worked out well for (Schwartz). He wasn't able to put the time and the commitment that was necessary for him to be a coordinator, and he knew that. I thought he supported (Bowen) and the defense and helped us out. He would handle some of the red zone stuff.

“… I'm glad he is feeling better, and I'm glad he's getting an opportunity to coordinate again.”

Tennessee’s defense ranked in the top half of the league in points allowed each of those two seasons, including tied for fifth in 2021. The same was true in the red zone, where the Titans ranked seventh in 2021 and 16th in 2022.

“I think I was still able to make a contribution,” Schwartz said “I’m incredibly grateful to Mike Vrabel for giving me the trust to do that, and to (Bowen) for trusting me to do that. But they knew that I didn’t have any objective other than to help and to win. And my job was to do a good job with the job they gave me. So, it was fulfilling.”