The Cleveland Browns entered the 2026 season uncertain but hopeful about the defensive side of the ball.
With defensive end Myles Garrett in Los Angeles after an offseason trade and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz at home after being passed over for the head coaching job, no one knew exactly what to expect.
Things got off to a rocky start, to say the least, in Week 1 against Jacksonville as the Browns gave up 34 points as part of a four-touchdown day from Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Since
then, the defense has found its footing and been a key part of the team’s current three-game winning streak:
- First, it was denying Tampa Bay on its final possession of the game in a four-point win in Week 2.
- In the home opener, they flummoxed Carolina’s high-flying offense as the only team to hold the Panthers under 30 points so far this season.
- Last week, it was about confusing and abusing Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers (two interceptions and five sacks) in a three-point win.
So what has gotten into the defense since the opener?
One of the big talking points coming out of the Jacksonville game was how Rutenberg had the defense play zone coverage on 80 percent of Lawrence’s pass attempts, the fourth-highest rate by a Cleveland defense since 2023, according to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi.
Since then, the Browns have gotten back to what they do best and are now playing man coverage on 50 percent of opponents’ pass attempts, highlighted by playing man on almost 74 percent of Rodgers’ pass attempts last week, the highest rate by a team this season, according to Oyefusi.
But it is more than just doing what the players are good at (and prefer). Rather, it is about looking at each game and coming up with the best plan possible, as Rutenberg explained on Thursday:
“Not going to go too deep into what went into it, but as we’re all learning and progressing through the season, it is week to week to week to week in the NFL, and you guys know that. You guys have been covering the NFL. I’ll steal (Todd Monken’s) line that it’s constantly under construction. And the truth is each little week is a season, right? Because this thing is a marathon, it’s a grind.
“And every week you’re trying to find that winning edge. You’re trying to find that winning margin. You’re trying to eliminate the things that can hurt you, build on the things that can help you, and week to week finding your players’ superpowers, finding what can make your players go, what can make your coaches go, and then building on that week to week and then having the humility to say, ‘oh, that didn’t go as we thought, let’s work it back to this way.’ And it’s a credit to our players for constantly trying to find those inches in their game.”
It is certainly not a novel approach to hear that teams change their game plans each week based on the opponent. (Although it is a bit disconcerting that Rutenberg has to explain it during a press conference.)
What is refreshing is Rutenberg being willing to recognize when things are going wrong and making the proper adjustments. Again, that may sound like coaching 101, but there have been plenty of coaches come through this town who were more focused on fitting the players to their system, no matter how bad that fit was, rather than adapting the system to the ability of the players.
The Browns may not have liked what they saw on the field in Week 1 in Jacksonville, but Rutenberg and the defense deserve credit for not letting that poor performance turn into a multi-week issue.
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