Browns hire Mike Rutenberg: 5 things to know about Cleveland's new DC

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Browns hire Mike Rutenberg: 5 things to know about Cleveland's new DC

Jacob Roach, Browns Wire · Browns Wire

Wed, Feb 18, 2026 ·

3 min read

He brings over 20 years of experience to the table

Rutenberg's first coaching job was as a player personnel intern with the Washington Redskins in 2003, when Joe Gibbs was the team's head coach. In 2004 and 2005, he served as Gibbs's administrative assistant to the head coach and was considered Gibbs's right-hand man .

He was responsible for putting together practice schedules and meeting presentations while in this role. It says something that a Hall of Fame coach trusted Rutenberg to put together daily calendars and schedules so early in his career; it suggests he has good attention to detail.

Rutenberg is a Robert Saleh disciple

Rutenberg and the new Titans' head coach, Robert Saleh, spent a lot of time together, dating back to when they were both assistant coaches under Gus Bradley with the Jacksonville Jaguars . They would later work together again when Rutenberg served as Saleh's passing game specialist during the 2020 season, when Saleh was the defensive coordinator in San Francisco .

Rutenberg then followed Saleh to New York, where he served as the Jets ' linebacker coach from 2021 to 2024, when Saleh was fired. Rutenberg is characterized as a high-energy coach similar to Robert Saleh.

Rutenberg has a diverse career background

Rutenberg isn't just known for coaching one specific position or role throughout his career. His first role was personnel and scouting-based, and he's been both a linebacker coach and a defensive back coach. He's also been a passing game coordinator for two NFL teams, as well as for New Mexico State, where he served as the team's passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach.

Expect Similar Fronts to Jim Schwartz

During Todd Monken's first press conference, he said he wanted to keep the scheme Schwartz ran the same because of its success, and to an extent, that will be true with Rutenberg. ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi talked about this on X .

"The defensive fronts that the Browns utilized under Jim Schwartz are very similar to the ones that new DC Mike Rutenberg coached up alongside Robert Saleh in New York. You can go back even further to Mike Rutenberg's time with Jacksonville and Gus Bradley (Saleh was also on staff). Easy to see the overlap, from front to coverage."

Atlanta's Pass Defense started hot before the wheels fell off the whole team

Rutenberg and Ulbrich, the DC for Atlanta last year, had a great start to the season. It took eight games before the Falcons allowed over 200 passing yards to an opponent. They also faced Josh Allen in the stretch and really had him confused and frustrated with the coverage looks. But ultimately, the wheels fell off for the whole team, and their passing defense finished the season 13th, although you could argue the Browns' talent at defensive back is better than the Falcons' talent he worked with last year.