Despite a disappointing season, the Cleveland Browns' defense ranked among the league's best.

A lot of the credit goes to Jim Schwartz. However, following Todd Monken's selection as the new head coach, he resigned from DC, leaving a huge gap for Cleveland to fill.

Owner Jimmy Haslam and GM Andrew Berry's extensive DC search has taken them to a familiar name, Kevin Stefanski.

Per Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns have now hired the Falcons' Mike Rutenberg as the new defensive coordinator.

Browns' DC search involved many candidates, including the Texans' Cory Undlin. Not only him, but a couple of internal candidates, LB coach Jason Tarver, and S coach Ephraim Banda had also completed their interviews.

Ultimately, Rutenberg was their final choice. Despite being the only one without prior NFL coordinator experience, he impressed Monken during the initial interview.

Both the Falcons and the Browns have been involved in several high-profile deals. Stefanski left Cleveland after a back-to-back poor seasons and joined Atlanta just a few days later. The Browns' offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, followed him and joined the Falcons.

With Rutenberg joining the Cleveland side, it marks another successful exchange between the two franchises.

He joined Atlanta last year after spending four years as the LB coach with the Jets. In the 2025 season, Atlanta allowed 200.4 passing yards per game, which ranked them in the middle of the pack.

The Falcons finished third in the NFC South with an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs. However, Rutenberg has big shoes to fill at the Browns.

Will Rutenberg replicate Jim Schwartz's success?

Jim Schwartz had an extremely successful tenure as the Browns' defensive coordinator.

The Cleveland defense has ranked first in many key categories over the past three seasons under Schwartz. That includes total YPG, total passing YPG, and the most team tackles for a loss.

In the 2025 season, the Browns finished third with 53 sacks, setting a franchise record. Veteran defensive end Myles Garrett broke the sack record held by Michael Strahan and T.J.Watt with 23.

The Browns hold another interesting stat that displays their defensive prowess. They have gone 45 straight games without a 300-yard passer, the longest active streak in the NFL.

Rutenberg will not only be working with Garrett but also with the defensive Rookie of the Year, Carson Schwesinger. Their defensive unit also has veterans like Denzel Ward, Grant Delpit, and Tyson Campbell.

How confident are the Browns fans about Rutenberg's hiring? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Kalp Thaker

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu