The Cleveland Browns have identified their successor to Jim Schwartz, hiring Mike Rutenberg as defensive coordinator. The 44-year-old arrives from the Atlanta Falcons, where he most recently served as defensive pass game coordinator, and will assume his first NFL defensive coordinator role.
Cleveland’s opening materialized after head coach Todd Monken was hired and Schwartz — reportedly disappointed after being passed over for the top job — chose to resign following three seasons leading the Browns’ defense. Rutenberg now inherits one of the league’s most talented units, tasked with maintaining the standard Schwartz established.
Rutenberg began his NFL coaching career in 2013 with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an assistant defensive backs coach and held multiple defensive roles there through 2019. He later worked as a passing game specialist for the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 and spent three seasons as linebackers coach for the New York Jets before joining Atlanta. With the Falcons, he helped orchestrate a passing defense that held opponents under 200 yards through the air for the first eight games of the season and notably disrupted quarterback Josh Allen in a prime-time victory over the Buffalo Bills. Though Atlanta’s defense faded late in the year, it still finished 13th in passing yards allowed.
The challenge in Cleveland is different. The Browns ranked third in passing defense last season and boast elite playmakers at every level, including reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who broke the single-season sack record, and Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger. Five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward anchors the secondary.
Monken has indicated he intends to keep the defensive philosophy largely intact, placing the onus on Rutenberg to preserve continuity while adding his own influence. With a roster built to contend and expectations firmly established, Rutenberg steps into a prominent role overseeing one of the NFL’s most formidable defenses.
