The Cleveland Browns were back on Wednesday for their OTAs. And it seems clear that the defense has started embracing its new defensive coordinator, Mike Rutenberg’s approach. 

Rutenberg spoke with the media on Wednesday and shared his thoughts on what the Browns’ defensive line needs to be.

“That’s(the defensive line) the engine… and with that comes great responsibility of the style with which we play, the technique and the intensity with which we play,” said defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg. “We got all the right guys to do it.”

The two OTAs that were made open to the media saw the defensive side full of energy and carried out with “hair-on-fire intensity”.

This is reflective of the new DC who’s known for bringing energy to the field when he’s coaching. He reflected on the reasons behind being so full of life. 

“We get this opportunity for 11 of us in a defense and a team and a coaching staff to work together and do some really, really hard work,”Rutenberg added. “So when we do some really, really hard work and it works out in our favor, let’s celebrate and have a blast. Let’s show how much we love each other by how much we celebrate.”

The Browns’ defensive players displaying awareness to track the ball and make an interception made the DC elated at the OTA. 

“The ball is oxygen. Like you need oxygen to live, so the ball is our oxygen. We need it for our football lives,” said Rutenberg. “So anytime the ball is in the air or someone’s running with it, we’re attacking it. If it’s on the group, we’re scooping it and we’re scoring with it. It just has to do with our mindset, which is our livelihood. It’s our oxygen.”

Per Jacob Roach of the Browns Wire, Rutenberg was previously the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive pass coordinator. He was brought to Cleveland in February when the former DC, Jim Schwartz, resigned after losing the head coach job to Todd Monken. 

While Rutenberg expressed his outlook on how the Browns’ defense needs to be, reporters made sure to mention the star of the defense, Myles Garrett, who skipped the OTAs. 

Rutenberg Talks About His Equation With Myles Garrett

The Browns’ defensive end, Myles Garrett, has raised eyebrows with his absence from the voluntary workouts and OTAs. In NFL circles, there are talks of him trading to a Super Bowl contender team.

Mike Rutenberg was asked about Garrett, especially in light of HC Monken saying that he hasn’t yet met the DE. 

“I knew that would be a question,” responded Rutenberg. “I’m going to leave a lot of that interaction between me and Myles.”

While Rutenberg insisted that there have been some interactions with Garrett, that hasn’t diffused speculations about Garrett’s absence. 

With the mandatory minicamp coming up in June, fans and NFL analysts hope to get clarity on Garrett’s future with the Browns.

What are your thoughts on the Browns’ updated defense?

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Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi