CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns made waves Monday by hiring Mike Rutenberg as their new defensive coordinator, bypassing candidates with previous play-calling experience in favor of the 41-year-old former Falcons passing game coordinator. The move represents a significant gamble -- entrusting a defense that ranked among the NFL’s best last season to a first-time coordinator.
“I was actually a little surprised by that,” Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot said on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast. “I had been talking to some people along the way, and the way one person was putting it to me was that he was the one that did not have the coordinator experience. So it might have been a little bit of an uphill battle for him to get this job.”
The Browns’ decision challenges conventional wisdom about promoting from within or finding a proven commodity. While internal candidate Jason Tarver and outside candidate Cory Undlin both brought coordinator experience to the table, head coach Todd Monken ultimately clicked with Rutenberg during their Sunday meeting.
What made Rutenberg stand out despite his lack of coordinator credentials? His coaching lineage appears to be the differentiating factor.
“He’s got a ton of really good experience in the kind of defense that Jim Schwartz ran. And I think that’s the key. He ran this defense and he ran it really well at all the stops that he’s been. So this is going to be a smooth transition,” Cabot explained.
Rutenberg’s 16 years of NFL experience includes work under respected defensive minds like Robert Saleh. This pedigree suggests he understands the aggressive, attacking 4-3 style that made Cleveland’s defense so successful under Schwartz.
The Browns are also minimizing risk by maintaining stability throughout the defensive coaching staff. Rutenberg will inherit a fully intact staff, including defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire, linebackers coach Tarver (who was also a finalist for the coordinator job), safeties coach Ephraim Banda and cornerbacks coach Brandon Lynch.
“You are not reinventing the wheel with Mike Rutenberg by any stretch of the imagination,” Cabot noted. “You’ve got all your elite premier defensive assistants in place and I think that’s going to make the job a whole lot easier.”
The reality is that no one can predict how Rutenberg will perform in his elevated role. As podcast host Dan Labbe noted, “Nobody knows if he’s going to be a good coordinator or not. Nobody can sit here and say, ‘Well, this is a bad hire. Man, I can’t believe they hired that guy.’ And nobody can say, ‘Man, that’s a home run hire.’”
What we do know is that Rutenberg inherits a defense featuring NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, cornerback Denzel Ward and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger. The Browns had 53 sacks last season, evidence of Schwartz’s aggressive philosophy taking hold.
The Rutenberg hire also reflects Monken’s desire to build his own staff. While Monken reportedly tried to retain Schwartz, ultimately having his own selected defensive coordinator eliminates potential power struggles and establishes a clear chain of command.
If Rutenberg can maintain the aggressive style that maximized Cleveland’s defensive talent while adding his own wrinkles to address vulnerabilities, this calculated gamble could pay significant dividends for the Browns in 2026.
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