The Cleveland Browns accomplished a major goal in hiring former Atlanta Falcons defensive passing game coordinator Mike Rutenberg to replace Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator: They maintained continuity.
New Browns coach Todd Monken said he wouldn't change a defensive scheme that has allowed the fewest yards per game in the NFL (298.6) over the past three seasons. And in Rutenberg, Cleveland found a coach who has worked with the attacking front defensive system that Schwartz previously featured with the Browns.
Rutenberg, 44, spent a large portion of his coaching career alongside Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh, who has used similar defensive fronts as Schwartz. He worked this past season with Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich, another former Saleh assistant. Rutenberg contributed to an Atlanta defense that set a franchise record with 57 sacks.
Rutenberg has never been a defensive coordinator or called plays in the NFL, but he has intimate knowledge of the Browns' current scheme and will undoubtedly add his spin.
"He'd been in a similar system, but not the exact system because Jim [Schwartz] was unique. And they can say attacking style, but then there's attacking style, which is what they've done here up front," Monken said. "And I think that background of being a four-down attacking style, but not exact, (and) to add some things that they had done before that I thought would mesh really well with the current staff, was a big part of that. And I thought his energy, his ability to teach, his juice, I mean, it popped. It was what I was looking for."
With a unit that is led by edge rusher and two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward and 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger, there are still unknowns to sort out about Rutenberg's coaching style and how he'll take over for Schwartz.
Here are three questions for Rutenberg and the Browns' defense.
What wrinkles will Rutenberg add?
While Rutenberg knows the inner workings of the scheme the Browns' defense has run the past three seasons, this opportunity as defensive coordinator will allow him to leave his mark on the scheme.
The Browns were drawn to Rutenberg, in part, because of his understanding of all three levels of the defense, and his work this past season as a passing game coordinator could help Cleveland be a bit less predictable.
There were many similarities to the defense in Rutenberg's last stop and Cleveland, both in defensive fronts and coverage. Only Atlanta utilized Cover 1 at a higher rate (41.2%) than the Browns (39.9%) this past season.
Where the schemes varied is the type of zone coverage both defenses used and pre-snap disguise. Schwartz typically stuck to single-high defenses and thus used Cover 3 on 23.7% of opposing dropbacks, the 14th-highest rate in the NFL last season. The Falcons opted to use a lot of Cover 4 and played in quarters coverage at the sixth-highest rate (17.9%) in 2025.
As far as disguise, the Browns weren't one to engage in much subterfuge under Schwartz; Cleveland disguised its coverage on 19.8% of opponent dropbacks, which ranked 28th in the league this past season. Atlanta disguised its coverage at a slightly higher rate, 22.9%, which ranked 20th during the same span.
"He's one of the best teachers in this game," Ulbrich said of Rutenberg as his former assistant went through the interview process. "He understands the back end at a Ph.D.-plus level, and he's a great teacher of it. He's a huge part of our success back there."
Will the Browns retain LB Devin Bush?
Cleveland doesn't have a long list of priority free agents, but Bush rests at the top. The 2019 first-round pick of the Steelers has had a career resurgence with the Browns. With Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah sidelined for the majority of the past two seasons because of a neck injury, Bush has established himself as a reliable starter and formed a solid duo with Schwesinger.
Bush, though, is due for a raise after playing in 2024 and 2025 on a pair of one-year deals that amounted to $2.5 million in average annual salary. The 27-year-old set career-high marks in tackles (125), interceptions (3) and also added two sacks this past season.
The Browns have greater needs on offense this offseason, but retaining Bush would ensure that the entirety of Cleveland's starting defense remains intact in 2026.
"Devin has done a really good job over the last year and a half of giving himself to the system -- being able to play on edges, using his hands," Browns linebackers coach Jason Tarver said. "We asked him to walk up in man coverage, and he's really only had a few times all year that his eyes have been wrong in some hard situations.
"He's really been able to maximize his great football feel with how he fits in the defense. We need him to keep doing that because he's blitzing better than in past years. He's covering better than past years."
Where could the Browns add talent?
Rutenberg inherits a defense that has Pro Bowl-caliber talent on all three levels. Schwesinger was named a Pro Bowl alternate as a rookie. Ward is a five-time Pro Bowler. And Garrett serves as the fulcrum of Cleveland's aggressive defense. This gives the Browns a high floor on defense, but that doesn't mean the unit is impenetrable.
Cleveland's cornerback depth behind Ward and Tyson Campbell is bare and was exposed at times; in a Week 2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Ward was on and off the field and missed the majority of the second half because of cramping. Baltimore targeted his replacement, Cam Mitchell, and quarterback Lamar Jackson threw three touchdowns when targeting Mitchell, who was released days later.
The Browns take pride in their options across the defensive line, but their interior depth was tested after Maliek Collins sustained a season-ending quad injury in Week 13. And with Rayshawn Jenkins slated for free agency, Cleveland could be in the market for another safety to use in their three-safety packages alongside Grant Delpit and restricted free agent Ronnie Hickman.