CLEVELAND, Ohio — When news broke on Monday that [Browns head coach Todd Monken was hiring Mike Rutenberg as his new defensive coordinator](https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2026/02/todd-monken-hires-mike-rutenberg-as-browns-defensive-coordinator.html), my first thought was something Monken said in his introductory press conference two weeks ago.
“First off, my anticipation is we’re not going to change the system,” Monken said on Feb. 3 when he was asked about maintaining the defensive standard even if Jim Schwartz exited. “Very difficult to go against – not planning on changing the system. We’re built for the system that they’re in currently."
Three days later Schwartz, the architect of one of the best defenses in the league over the last three years, did in fact exit, handing over his resignation after being passed over for the top job.
But while Rutenberg may be new to most Browns fans, his style of defense won’t be.
And that, I would argue, has always been the most important aspect in this head coaching search, and subsequently, the coordinator search.
Not many teams run a Schwartz-like system anymore — one that features one-high safety looks, more man, and sometimes as many as five or six down linemen with an eight- or nine-man rotations upfront.
Now, onto Rutenberg.
A 16-year NFL coaching vet, he has extensive experience under current Titans coach Robert Saleh, serving as a passing game specialist under Saleh in San Francisco in 2020, and serving as his linebackers coach with the Jets from 2021-2024.
Saleh is one of the handful of defensive head coaches/coordinators that run a defense similar to Schwartz.
Rutenberg largely came up in this system, and worked more in a wide-nine scheme under Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich, who is remaining in Atlanta on Kevin Stefanski’s staff.
But based on how Ulbrich spoke about Rutenberg, his now-former defensive pass game coordinator, just last week, he will certainly be sad to see him go.
“He does an amazing job,” Ulbrich said. “He’s one of the best teachers in this game. He understands the back end at a Ph.D.-plus level. He’s a huge part of our success back there.
“Whether he gets a coordinator job this year or next, it’s coming. He’s just too good of a coach. He’s got a bright future.”
So why is the scheme so important? After all, while GM Andrew Berry said back in January the front office liked how this defense was built and how it ran this system, they weren’t painting themselves in a corner because of it.
Before hiring Todd Monken, they even interviewed Jesse Minter, now the Ravens head coach, and Seahawks DC Aden Durde, who both run much more zone-heavy systems.
But to me, interest in coordinators who don’t run this scheme was always interesting because of how the roster has been so deliberately constructed over the last three years.
There’s been a youth movement on the Browns D-line, particularly on the interior, where Cleveland has used premium draft capital over the last two years to add Mason Graham and Mike Hall Jr. Opposite of NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, they’ve developed their own later-round talent in Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright, who recently earned a three-year extension.
In the safety room currently, I would argue that the Browns don’t have the personnel for two-high looks that have become en vogue. In fact, the safety room may be the weakest on the defense given how good Carson Schwesinger and Devin Bush have been in the linebacker corps. Schwesinger was just named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Ahead of the trade deadline in 2025, the Browns also made a significant move that was largely based on how much man they run: trading Greg Newsome II for Tyson Campbell because they thought Campbell could thrive in this man-heavy scheme. They were right.
Actually, it was a move that paid off so much that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam even cited it when talking about why they decided to retain GM Andrew Berry back in January.
While Schwartz staying on would have been welcomed by players, Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit all even campaigned for him when it came to the head coaching job, a big part of that praise is due to their success in this system.
Over a three-year period, Cleveland has been the best team in the league in total yards allowed per game (298.6), and is the only team in the league to allow fewer than 300 yards per game over that span.
The Browns also rank first in first downs allowed per game, third down conversion percentage, fourth down conversion percentage, passing yards allowed per game, and tackles for loss over that same stretch.
Most notably, it’s been a scheme that has allowed Garrett to claim two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards in three years and the league’s single-season sack record this past season as well.
Schwartz was the architect of it in Cleveland — but it’s about the system more than it is about anything else.
And if the Browns got it right, in Rutenberg they may have still found someone with a Ph.D. level knowledge of the system they are built to run.
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