Todd Monken and the Cleveland Browns solidified their 2026 coaching staff on Monday. And with the Jim Schwartz drama now officially behind them, fans can start looking forward to the fun stuff.
The Browns can now set their sights on personnel, as we're just 20 days out from the NFL’s legal tampering window for free agents. First, general manager Andrew Berry will need to make moves to create salary cap space for the first free agent class of the Monken era.
Move No. 1 is painfully obvious (and has been planned since December of 2024). In the coming days, the Browns will exercise a contract conversion on Deshaun Watson that will create around $35 million in immediate cap space.
Cleveland has 10 projected selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, and a number of glaring roster needs, including a potential new starting five along the offensive line. The Browns are going to need more cap room, and star cornerback Denzel Ward’s deal could be the one on deck.
Ward was just named to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career, but his $32.8 million cap hit is well above Myles Garrett’s number ($24.6M) and will need to be adjusted. With Monken in and former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz out, there’s been some speculation over Ward’s future in Cleveland and whether the team could look to move him to create more financial flexibility in future years; as it stands, a trade before June 1 would create $3.2 million in 2026 cap space.
The Browns have another obvious option with Ward’s contract, though, and it feels like a done deal now that Mike Rutenberg has officially taken over as the Browns' defensive coordinator.
Mike Rutenberg hire all but confirms Denzel Ward’s future in Cleveland
It’s rare for NFL teams to move on from a franchise cornerback who’s still in his prime. It takes a down-bad franchise in the middle of a brutal rebuild — like the New York Jets — to even consider moving a player such as Sauce Gardner.
The Browns are definitely facing a mini rebuild, but they’re too stacked on the defensive side of their roster to take a page out of the Jets playbook. They’re much more likely to take a page out of their own playbook, and use a contract conversion on Ward’s deal to create an additional $13.5 million in 2026 cap space.
That latter approach feels like the only option now, given Rutenberg’s extensive background working with defensive backs. His vision for Ward, Tyson Campbell, Grant Delpit, and Ronnie Hickman behind Cleveland’s established wide-9 attack up front is likely what sold Monken on his latest hire.
Rutenberg served as the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive passing game coordinator in 2025, and after watching the tape, ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi saw some schematic wrinkles that should have Browns fans intrigued.
“Went threw some Atlanta defensive film on obvious passing downs and the disguise stood out the most. Some cool stuff with late rotations, DB blitzes, simulated pressure, even peeped a coffeehouse blitz. There’s always going to be uncertainty with a first-time playcaller but philosophically, the Browns got someone to keep the scheme intact and add some more, especially on the back end.”
Ward was probably never going anywhere this offseason, but whenever a team undergoes a regime change with a tight salary cap situation, nothing can be ruled out.
Ward’s under contract through his age-30 season in 2027, and it’s hard to see him moving on anytime soon after Cleveland hired a defensive back guru as its new DC.