Browns to hire Mike Rutenberg as defensive coordinator

After the resignation of Jim Schwartz, the Browns have found their next defensive coordinator.

According to multiple reports, the club is hiring Falcons defensive passing game coordinator Mike Rutenberg for the role.

Rutenberg, 44, was set to continue on the Falcons’ staff in 2026 with retained defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich after Atlanta hired Kevin Stefanski as head coach. Now Rutenberg will head to Cleveland, where he will work under Stefanski’s replacement, new head coach Todd Monken.

Rutenberg spent 2013-2019 as a defensive assistant for the Jaguars, serving as assistant linebackers coach for his last two years with the club. He was hired as a passing game specialist for the 49ers in 2020 before heading to the Jets with former head coach Robert Saleh as the club’s linebackers coach from 2021-2024. He then followed Ulbrich to the Falcons in 2025.

Monken has said he would like the Browns to retain the same scheme that Schwartz ran, given its effectiveness. But with Rutenberg as the hire instead of someone internal, there may be some philosophical shifts to come.