After hiring Mike Rutenberg as their new defensive coordinator, the Cleveland Browns are expected to retain the bulk of their defensive coaching staff, aside from the departed Jim Schwartz.
The Browns definitely have a defensive assistant who’s in high demand, though.
According to Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston, the New England Patriots quietly interviewed Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda prior to naming Zak Kuhr as their new defensive coordinator.
The Patriots were required to satisfy the Rooney Rule before promoting Zak Kuhr, meaning they had to interview at least two minority DC candidates.
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) February 18, 2026
I’m told one was Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda, who has reportedly interviewed for multiple DC openings during this cycle. https://t.co/OZto16p91s
New England's interest makes sense for a couple of reasons. For starters, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spent the 2024 season with the Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant. He got a first-hand look at Cleveland’s operation, and Banda clearly made an impression; the 44-year-old was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Utah State before joining Kevin Stefanski’s staff for his first NFL role in 2023.
The other painfully obvious reason? The Patriots needed to satisfy the Rooney Rule before officially promoting Kuhr, and Vrabel used one of his two required diverse interviews on a rising candidate in Cleveland who deserves more name recognition.
Kuhr was essentially a shoo-in for the job after stepping up as the Patriots’ play-caller in Week 2 of the regular season and holding that role all the way through the Super Bowl. He opened the year as Vrabel’s inside linebackers coach and became the team’s de facto defensive coordinator after Terrell Williams had to step away from the team due to a battle with prostate cancer; Williams is now cancer free, but is switching roles within the organization, paving the way for Kuhr to continue his fine work from the 2025 season.
All of that is to say that Banda accepted an interview with the Patriots, likely knowing all along that he wasn’t a serious candidate for the job.
Ephraim Banda is drawing serious buzz in NFL coaching circles
None of this is to say that Banda wasn’t deserving of a DC interview request. Prior to meeting with Vrabel and the Patriots, he had DC interviews with the Cowboys, Jets — and his own team, the Browns.
Cleveland’s job was probably his best shot. Todd Monken was open about his desire to keep continuity on defense, and Banda felt like the prime internal candidate based on the outside interest he received.
But Banda was not named among Cleveland’s three finalists for the job. The top internal candidate wound up being linebackers coach Jason Tarver, joined by Rutenberg and Texans defensive passing game coordinator Cory Undlin.
This was still a strong hiring cycle for Banda, who got some prime interview experience and figures to get more serious looks in the coming years. He’s still relatively green in terms of NFL experience, and it will be interesting to see if Monken and Rutenberg add some responsibilities to his plate to help him continue to grow in league circles.
In the meantime, the Browns get to keep the core of their defensive coaching staff intact, a luxury given that the defense is the only phase the team can count on right now. The presence of key assistants like Banda, Tarver, D-line coach Jacques Cesaire, and cornerbacks coach Brandon Lynch should only help Rutenberg hit the ground running in Year 1.