Once again, the Cleveland Browns surprised the fans and the NFL world with their latest hire. When most people thought they would get a deal done with Cory Undlin or promote someone from the current staff, they hired Mike Rutenberg instead.
Rutenberg recently served as the Atlanta Falcons' defensive pass coordinator, but he arrives in Berea with 15 years of coaching experience and extensive time working alongside Robert Saleh. He was one of the architects of the New York Jets' elite defense from 2021-24.
He may not be the hottest name in the market, but as ESPN insider Daniel Oyefusi pointed out, he comes with an edge over other candidates. He runs similar defensive fronts to what the Browns ran with Jim Schwartz, so he can keep doing what worked for three years (and add a few wrinkles of his own).
"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," Oyefusi wrote on X. "I’d expect that to remain intact.
"Coverage wise, the biggest difference between the Falcons and Browns last season was Atlanta's use of quarters as their zone coverage of choice, whereas Cleveland specialized in Cover 3."
Mike Rutenberg's arrival keeps Jim Schwartz’s Browns blueprint alive
The Browns have much more talent in the secondary than Rutenberg had in Atlanta. The Falcons and Browns were also the two teams that used Cover 1 at the highest rate in the league last season, so this should be a smooth transition.
Schwartz did a solid job in his three years with the team, but he also had an elite set of talent to work with. Browns brass also clearly didn't feel he was indispensable; otherwise, they would have promoted him to head coach over Todd Monken.
Rutenberg will inherit that same wealth of talent, and his previous work with linebackers is exciting for Carson Schwesinger's development. He also helped Quinnen Williams become an All-Pro, and Mason Graham has all the talent in the world to follow in his steps.
At the end of the day, the players are the ones doing the dirty work and executing. The show will always go on, regardless of who's calling the shots.
Hopefully, Rutenberg will be the addition Browns fans didn't know their team needed.