The Cleveland Browns have a new defensive coordinator. That was one of the last pieces of the puzzle. The new head coach, Todd Monken, had several names on his list for the position. That was shortened down to about four names.
When Monken was hired, he held a press conference. In that presser, a reporter asked him if he was going to follow Jim Schwartz’s defensive strategy and scheme if Schwartz was not part of the plans going forward.
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Monken said he wasn’t
changing the defense regardless of whether Schwartz returned or not.
“First off, my anticipation is we’re not going to change the system. Very difficult to go against – not planning on changing the system. We’re built for the system that they’re in currently. And I’m not going to get into staffing, because that’s not the time to get into that. But they can rest assured that we’re going to keep the same system.”
At the time, it was uncertain if Schwartz would remain on staff. But if he didn’t, on the surface, that would probably mean that Monken would elevate a coach from Schwartz’s defensive staff and carry on the scheme and strategy. Two in-house coaches were considered: LB coach Jason Tarver and safety coach Ephraim Banda.
Monken added:
“We’re still going to let (the defense) attack; we’re still going to let them play free. I can’t see any other way. They’re a big reason why I took this job – the defensive players. I didn’t take this job because of Jim Schwartz.”
Neither student of Schwartz’s philosophy who worked within his system was selected as the new DC. Instead, Monken hired Mike Rutenberg, age 44, the defensive pass game coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons.
Who is he? What does he offer the Browns?
Beginnings
“Rut” grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, and attended Landon School, which is a private school for boys’ grades 3-12. Bethesda is just northwest of Washington, DC. The school is an academically driven environment and has produced many graduates who have gone on to excel in politics, business, and athletics.
Both of Rutenberg’s parents were Cornell graduates, so it only made sense for their son to go there as well. He enrolled in 1999 with a concentration in law. In his second year at Cornell, he played linebacker for the school’s varsity Sprint Football program.
Sprint Football is a lightweight intercollegiate varsity sport where every player must weigh 178 pounds or less. It uses standard NCAA rules, including full contact, and emphasizes speed and agility. It is played mainly in the Midwest and Northeast portions of the United States with a six to seven-game schedule.
At the time, Rutenberg was 5’9” tall. Sprint football was created to allow smaller athletes to compete and has been in existence since 1934. Cornell finished 2-4-0 all four years that Rutenberg played. In 2003, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management.
Rutenberg went undrafted in the 2003 NFL draft. What to do next was the big question.
On to the NFL
He was interviewed in 2004 and was hired by the Washington Redskins close to his hometown as an intern. His job was to be the right hand of head coach Joe Gibbs. His official title was “player personnel intern,” but his job scope increased almost every month because he was a guy who got things done. For Gibbs, Rutenberg put together the team’s daily calendar, meeting presentations, and daily practice schedules.
Later, he was added to the task of researching opponents from a statistical standpoint. In his second year, he was given the job of maintaining the Redskins’ college and pro computer scouting systems, and kept up with in-season free-agent workouts for available talent, then given the new title of “Administrative assistant to the head coach.”
In 2006, Rutenberg was able to get a job with the UCLA Bruins under head coach Rick Neuheisel, where he spent three years as a defensive intern/graduate assistant. He had weekly job duties for the program’s opponent breakdown and self-scout breakdown. He also helped craft UCLA’s defensive game plans and oversaw its scout team defense. Rutenberg then worked at New Mexico State for three seasons with basically the same duties as a passing game coordinator and also the DB coach, his first position coaching title.
He interviewed for the vacant assistant DB coach position with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013 and was hired by head coach Gus Bradley. When Bradley was fired in the offseason, new head coach Doug Marrone kept Rutenberg as assistant LB coach. He remained with Jacksonville for four years.
With the Jaguars, he worked under LB coach Robert Saleh. When Saleh was hired as the DC for the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, he brought Rutenberg with him as the passing game specialist. Then, when Saleh was hired as the head man at the Jets, again, Saleh reached out, and Rutenberg was now New York’s LB coach, where he remained for three seasons. Each year, the Jets’ defense improved. The first year, New York ranked #32, and then was elevated to #4 the following season. In 2023-2024, the Jets were ranked as a Top 5 defense, coming in at #3 both years.
Any coach who is employed as a linebacker coach is one good season away from being named a defensive coordinator. Then, after several successful seasons and getting a name for building great defenses, the talented DC begins his head coaching hiring tour.
Saleh was fired during the 2024 season. As with every head coaching release, all of his assistants are basically let go unless the incoming new head coach wants to retain any of the position coaches. Usually, a new head coach will bring in his own guys. Saleh went back to the 49ers, which had a full staff intact, so Rutenberg had to find another team for employment.
On the New York coaching staff under Saleh, Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich had been named the interim head coach when Saleh was let go after just five games. Again, after the season, all assistant coaches are also let go. Ulbrich was named the Falcons’ defensive coordinator. He hired Rutenberg to become the defensive pass game coordinator. Before Ulbrich and Rut arrived in 2024, Atlanta’s defense was ranked #23. In the duo’s only season, the Falcons improved to #15, including a passing defense ranked #13 (up from #22).
This January, the Tennessee Titans interviewed Rutenberg for their vacant DC job. Their new head coach is Saleh. Which was no surprise since Rutenberg and Saleh have a long history together, beginning in 2013.
What should Browns fans expect the defense to look like?
Rutenberg has been given the keys to the Ferrari as he gets ready to take over one of the league’s top defenses. This past season, this unit was ranked #4 overall with a pass defense that finished #3 in the league. In 2023, the Browns defense was ranked #1.
Key components include All-World Myles Garrett, a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year recipient who has been named First Team All-Pro five times and voted to seven Pro Bowls. Cornerback Denzel Ward has plenty of Pro Bowl hardware himself, with a mantle holding five trophies. Rookie LB Carson Schwesinger was just named the NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year. DT Mason Graham was voted to the NFL All-Rookie Team along with Schwesinger.
Safety Grant Delpit is a high-production tackler, and so is Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, if he returns from injury. CB Tyson Campbell is a thumper who came to the Browns late last year and has proven his worth. There are numerous talented defenders on the Browns free agency list that hopefully GM Andrew Berry will re-sign, such as S Ronnie Hickman, CB M.J. Emerson, and linebackers Mohamoud Diabate, Winston Reid, and Devin Bush.
The overall nucleus of this defense is obviously intact. You don’t get ranked #4 in the league without a bunch of talented defenders.
Monken stated that his team will follow Schwartz’s defensive scheme. However, Rutenberg has never coached with – or under – Schwartz. Their paths never crossed on any team at any level.
Rutenberg is a disciple of Saleh and Gus Bradley. He is their acorn. Saleh and Ulbrich at Atlanta ran a lot more zone on the back end, more so than Schwartz ever did. Under Schwartz, the Browns’ defensive backfield was constructed to play man on that back end. Will this change? If so, how much?
Last season, the only team in the league that played a higher rate of Cover 1 than the Browns was the Falcons. Saleh and Bradley have a reputation for majoring in post-safety coverage.
As far as the defensive front is concerned, this should remain almost the same and look quite familiar. Expect this aspect to remain intact and be just as effective.
The linebacker group will continue to play multi-dimensional roles, stopping the run and covering tight ends and running backs.
But Schwartz rarely blitzed. He schemed to have the bulk of the pass rush in the hands of his defensive linemen. This freed up the linebackers and safeties to stop the run and focus on their own coverages.
Atlanta’s defense in 2025 blitzed the second most of any NFL club. Now, that may be an Ulbrich thing, or Rutenberg may adopt this and implement his own blitz packages.
Rutenberg brings over 20 years of coaching defense to Cleveland. He isn’t just known for coaching one specific position, and in fact has been both a DB and LB position coach at several stops throughout his career. Rut helped put together game plans for several teams during his career that stymied opposing passing attacks.
He is a teacher. He is quite intelligent. He is a well-regarded NFL assistant and position coach. He is a husband married to his wife, Stacey. He is the father of a daughter and a son.
And like every transition in the league, the linebacker coach is now the defensive coordinator. All coaches are upwardly mobile, and this is Rutenberg’s opportunity to fill some big shoes and keep this defense where it deserves to be.
On top.
Browns fans are optimistic they can watch Mike Rutenberg go on to be one of the best DCs in the league.
