BEREA — Jim Schwartz dug into the myriad of baseball references to describe his second year as Browns defensive coordinator. He talked about a pitcher who relied on the fastball working to add a changeup.

The secret to that fastball last year — and most years in Schwartz's system — was the defensive line. The secret to the Browns defensive line specifically was the cheat code often lined up at the right defensive end spot — Myles Garrett.

The combination of Garrett's natural ability and Schwartz's scheme unlocked a Defensive Player of the Year season last year for the former No. 1 overall pick. Garrett, though, said he thinks another year together won't just be a boon for himself, but also the entire defensive line.

"I mean, we only had one year under Schwartz, who did a hell of a job, and him having consistency up front and with the defense, he's going to start dialing things up a little bit more, reaching more into his bag," Garrett said during minicamp. "He threw the fastball a lot, and it was successful. But now, being able to change it up a little bit, it's really going to throw teams for a loop.

"We're looking forward to really getting after the guys and making the plays that some of us missed and some of the plays that we missed."

There's a whole lot that goes into why all involved believe the second year has potential to be even better than the first. The first year, mind you, the Browns defense ranked No. 1 in multiple categories during the regular season, including total yards allowed, points allowed and third-down conversion rate.

The Browns defensive line that year was virtually brand new, with only Garrett, defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and defensive end Alex Wright among the primary rotation pieces who had played for the team in 2022. Additions such as Dalvin Tomlinson, Maurice Hurst II and Shelby Harris at tackle, as well as Za'Darius Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo at end, took that line to a different level.

Of that group, only Elliott is not back, having signed with the San Francisco 49ers in March.

"I would say a lot more simply because last year was a new defense for a lot of us," Tomlinson said. "Like me, I never played in defense like this until last year. So, a lot of us took 8-10 weeks to actually get accustomed to the defense. And now since we're already accustomed to it, most of us return. It's just like we're picking up and running and we just adding more stuff to it."

Eight of the top nine on the Browns in total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, were linemen, led by Garrett's 60 and Smith's 40. The eight combined for 204 pressures, including 148 by Garrett, Smith, Okoronkwo (25) and Tomlinson (23).

Smith, in particular, dealt with a transition that was difficult. The selling point when the Browns acquired him in a mid-May trade last year was the fact that, like Garrett, he was in a group of five players who had reached double digits in sacks in three of the previous four seasons going into 2023.

However, shifting from the three-man front in which he had essentially spent the better part of his pro career to Schwartz's four-man front proved to be a tougher transition than Smith expected. Although his quarterback hits (15) and hurries (40) remained solid, he finished with his lowest sack total — 5.5 — in a non-injury-shortened season since 2017.

"For myself, coming from a 3-4 system, I was always a guy who had to stand up," Smith said. "So just being down in the three-point now, not really looking at formations was something new for me. But now I'm starting to get the hang of it, man. And as you can see this year, you'll see a better Z, I can tell you that much."

The players will also tell you they'll be able to better understand where the mistakes are being made now. It's hard to do so when your own understanding of the defense is limited by the lack of reps in the scheme.

Now, knowing what the picture is supposed to look like with the scheme helps to find where the distortions are in the picture.

"When we see ourselves on the film now, like from the stuff we did last year, that's the expectation," Tomlinson said. "Like, it can't be below that standard. So, we can start there and build on that. It just makes it, like you said, since most of us return and make it way more easy."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns defensive line hopes consistency unlocks next-level success