CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Mike Rutenberg has an enormous pair of shoes to fill in replacing Jim Schwartz and has never called an NFL defense, but Todd Monken is confident he\u2019s up to the task.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Monken hired the former Falcons defensive passing game coordinator to replace Schwartz and continue to run the Browns\u2019 attacking 4-3 scheme, in which he\u2019s well-versed. <\/p>\n
Rutenberg, 41, was hired from a pool of three finalists including Browns linebackers coach Jason Tarver and Texans defensive passing game coordinator Cory Undlin. He was the only one without NFL coordinator experience, but impressed Monken during their initial video interview and day-long in-person session on Sunday. <\/p>\n
He\u2019s tasked with the daunting task of replacing Schwartz, who resigned Feb. 6 after being passed over for the head coaching job in favor of Monken. Schwartz and Monken were the two finalists for the job, and the Browns chose Monken because of his stronger plan for elevating the offense to an elite level. He tried to talk Schwartz into coming back, to no avail. <\/p>\n
Monken also interviewed the Rams\u2019 Aubrey Pleasant, the Panthers\u2019 Jonathan Cooley, the Giants\u2019 Charlie Bullen and Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda for the defensive coordinator post. Of that group, only Tarver and Undlin had NFL coordinator experience, with Undlin having called the Lions defense in 2020 and Tarver heading up the Raiders defense from 2012-14.<\/p>\n
All of the other Browns defensive assistants, including Tarver and Banda, are expected to remain in place. <\/p>\n
Rutenberg\u2019s hiring completes Monken\u2019s first coordinator trio, with offensive coordinator Travis Switzer and special teams coordinator Byron Storer already in place. He has already restocked most of the overhauled offensive side of the ball. <\/p>\n
An NFL veteran for the past 16 years, Rutenberg spent 2025 with the Falcons under defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who\u2019s sticking around there under Kevin Stefanski.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe does an amazing job,\u201d Ulbrich said last week. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the best teachers in this game. He understands the back end at a Ph.D.-plus level. He\u2019s a huge part of our success back there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether he gets a coordinator job this year or next, it\u2019s coming. He\u2019s just too good of a coach. He\u2019s got a bright future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rutenberg also has extensive experience under current Titans coach Robert Saleh, who also runs a similar system to Schwartz. Rutenberg was passing game specialist under Saleh in San Francisco in 2020, and served as his linebackers coach with the Jets from 2021-2024.<\/p>\n
He takes over a Browns defense that ranks first in a number of key categories over the past three seasons under Schwartz, including total yards per game, first downs allowed per game, third down percentage, fourth down percentage, total passing yards per game, first downs per pass attempt and most team tackles for a loss. <\/p>\n
The Browns also ranked third in team sacks and were tied for second with eight defensive touchdowns.<\/p>\n
In 2025, the Browns finished fourth in total yards allowed per game at 283.6 and third-fewest passing yards per game at 167.2. They also finished third in the league with 53 sacks and set the franchise record for sacks in a season. Myles Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, broke the NFL single-season sack record with 23.<\/p>\n
The Browns have also gone 45 straight games without allowing a 300-yard passer, the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest streak by any NFL team since the Colts went 52 games from 2005-08.<\/p>\n
Rutenberg inherits a unit that features not only the 2025 NFL Defensive Player of the Year (Garrett) and 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year (Carson Schwesinger), but a five time Pro Bowler in Denzel Ward, and other elite players such as safety Grant Delpit and cornerback Tyson Campbell. <\/p>\n
Rutenberg\u2019s path to Falcons passing game coordinator was anything but conventional. A graduate of Cornell University and a former linebacker, he broke into the NFL in 2003 with Washington. Initially serving as a player personnel intern before becoming an administrative assistant under Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, Rutenberg immersed himself in the organizational side of football. He helped script practices, analyze opponents and assist in player evaluations \u2014 the kind of behind-the-scenes work that often lays the groundwork for future coaching opportunities.<\/p>\n
After gaining early NFL exposure, Rutenberg moved into the college ranks, coaching defensive backs and coordinating pass defenses at stops including UCLA and New Mexico State. His ability to teach coverage principles and develop young defenders eventually earned him a return to the NFL with the Jaguars in 2013.<\/p>\n
Over seven seasons in Jacksonville, Rutenberg climbed the ladder from assistant defensive backs coach to defensive assistant and later assistant linebackers coach. The varied responsibilities broadened his understanding of defensive structure, marrying rush and coverage concepts. That versatility would later become one of his defining professional traits.<\/p>\n
During his tenure in New York, the Jets consistently ranked near the top of the NFL in total defense and pass defense efficiency, bolstering Rutenberg\u2019s reputation as a detail-oriented strategist.<\/p>\n
That r\u00e9sum\u00e9 made him an appealing candidate for Atlanta, where Ulbrich sought fresh ideas entering 2025. Rutenberg was tasked with upgrading the Falcons\u2019 22nd-ranked pass defense, studying quarterback tendencies, implementing disguises and strengthening communication between the secondary and linebackers.<\/p>\n
The early returns in 2025 reflected progress: The Falcons improved to 13th in the NFL in pass defense, tightening from 224.5 yards to 200.4.<\/p>\n
Rutenberg will lead a group of Browns defenders still reeling from the abrupt departure of their beloved coordinator, with several of them campaigning openly for Schwartz to get the head coaching gig.<\/p>\n
But Rutenberg\u2019s excellent credentials suggest that the defenders will quickly adapt to their new leader. <\/p>\n