The Browns have named their three coordinators under head coach Todd Monken – offensive coordinator Travis Switzer, defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg and special teams coordinator Byron Storer.
As Monken has put his coaching staff together, beginning with the coordinators, he has kept one philosophy in mind throughout the search.
"You're always looking for coaches that never forget that we have a job for our players," Monken said. "That's first and foremost, and our job is to maximize our players' measurable skill set. I always say to aspire to be the best coach they've ever had."
In Switzer, Rutenberg and Storer, Monken believes he has found that trio to lead the offensive, defensive and special teams units, respectively, to success beginning in the 2026 season.
Offensive Coordinator Travis Switzer
Travis Switzer is the Browns offensive coordinator after nine seasons with the Ravens. He spent the last three seasons from 2023-25 as the Ravens run game coordinator, helping produce the most prolific run game in the NFL. During that span, the Ravens led the NFL in rush yards (166.9 per game), rush average (5.31) and rushes of 10-plus yards (230). RB Derrick Henry led all NFL players with 4,683 rushing yards and 44 rushing touchdowns from 2023-25 and finished second in the NFL in rushing yards all three seasons. QB Lamar Jackson also led all quarterbacks with 2,085 rushing yards and a 5.89 average during that span.
Monken highlighted how Switzer excelled at all of the tasks he was given while with the Ravens – particularly in the three seasons they overlapped in Baltimore.
"He was our run game coordinator, and that's where it all starts with your ability to run the football," Monken said. "So, he's ready for this challenge. He's intentional, he's intelligent and he can teach."
In 2024, the Ravens finished with the No. 1 offense in the NFL for the first time in team history as the Ravens became the first team in NFL history with 4,000 yards through the air (4,035) and 3,000 yards on the ground (3,189) in a single season. The unit set a franchise record with 7,224 total yards of offense, the third-most in NFL single-season history.
Over his time with the Ravens, Monken said one of the areas he saw Switzer's coaching grow was in the pass game, as well as leading a room.
"Probably where I've seen him grow the most is in front of the players," Monken said. "Confidence in front of the players. I think over time, you build confidence getting up in front of those guys and being able to teach and convey our thoughts offensively."
Switzer began his tenure in Baltimore as an administrative/performance staff assistant in 2017 and has spent 10 years coaching in the NFL. Switzer was elevated to offensive coaching analyst in 2019, where he worked with the wide receivers. He was then promoted to offensive quality control coach in 2021 and worked with the tight ends. In 2021, TE Mark Andrews was a first team All-Pro selection and led all NFL tight ends with 1,361 receiving yards. Andrews was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022.
Switzer also played four seasons as a center for the Akron Zips, making 36 consecutive starts. He earned Academic All-MAC honors and was a two-time offensive recipient of the Harry "Doc" Smith Award, which recognizes the most outstanding player of each class.
Defensive Coordinator Mike Rutenberg
Mike Rutenberg joins the Browns as defensive coordinator after spending one season with the Falcons as the defensive pass game coordinator and brings 14 years of experience coaching in the NFL.
Last season with Atlanta, Rutenberg helped develop third-round pick S Xavier Watts, who led all rookies and tied for second among all NFL players with five interceptions. Atlanta's safety duo of Watts (five) and Jessie Bates III (three) tied for the second-most interceptions by any safety duo across the league (eight).
"He'd been in a similar system, but not the exact system because Jim (Schwartz) was unique," Monken said. "And they can say attacking style, but then there's attacking style, which is what they've done here up front. And I think that background of being a four-down attacking style, but not exact, (and) to add some things that they had done before that I thought would mesh really well with the current staff, was a big part of that. And I thought his energy, his ability to teach, his juice, I mean, it popped. It was what I was looking for."
Rutenberg previously spent four seasons as the linebackers coach for the Jets from 2021-24. In his time in New York, Rutenberg was part of the only defense in the league to rank in the top five of total defense in each of the three seasons from 2022-24, finishing fourth in 2022 and third in both 2023 and 2024. Over the three seasons combined, the Jets' defense ranked first in total defense (305.7 yards per game) and passing defense (183.5 yards per game), fifth in tackles for loss (269), eighth in sacks (136) and ninth in scoring defense (21.1 points per game).
Prior to joining the Jets, Rutenberg was the 49ers passing game specialist during the 2020 season. He helped San Francisco's defense finish fourth in passing defense while also ranking in the top 10 in both completion percentage and passer rating allowed. He also spent seven seasons with the Jaguars, first as assistant defensive backs coach from 2013-15, then as a defensive assistant from 2016-17 before serving as assistant linebackers coach from 2018-19.
Rutenberg spent seven seasons coaching collegiate programs, first with UCLA from 2006-08 and then Mexico State from 2009-12. Rutenberg entered the league with Washington, initially as a player personnel intern in 2003, before working with Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs as assistant to the head coach.
Special Teams Coordinator Byron Storer
Byron Storer joins the Browns as the special teams coordinator after spending four seasons with the Packers as the assistant special teams coach and has coached for 12 years in the NFL.
"First off, his journey – going to Cal, playing special teams little bit in the NFL, into coaching, out of coaching and into the business world, then back into coaching. Being with one of the best special teams to ever do it in Rich Bisaccia. Matt LaFleur just absolutely standing on the table for him was huge," Monken said. "Unbelievable presentation when we interviewed him, he was more than ready. It was obvious when I got done interviewing him that we had to have him here."
From 2022-24, Storer helped the Packers post their best three-year mark on kickoff returns in team history with an average of 26.0 yards. Green Bay also tied for the league lead with 28 kickoff returns of 30-plus yards from 2022-24, the most by the team over a three-season span since 2010-12 (28). Storer also helped guide Green Bay to a No. 6 league ranking over the past three seasons in field-position margin (plus-1.8), including top 10 finishes each of the past two seasons (plus-2.7 in 2024, No. 5; plus-2.1 in 2023, No. 8).
He previously spent four seasons with the Raiders from 2018-21 as the assistant special teams coach. In 2021, P AJ Cole led the league with an average of 50.0 yards per punt and ranked fifth in the NFL with a net average of 42.5 yards on his way to earning first-team All-Pro recognition and his first Pro Bowl selection. K Daniel Carlson also set a single-season franchise record with 150 points, including a team-record 40 field goals. In 2020, WR Hunter Renfrow ranked second in the league with an average of 11.5 yards per punt return. Then in 2019, WR Dwayne Harris ranked second in the league with a 14.1-yard average on punt returns, highlighted by a franchise-record 99-yard touchdown return vs. Denver in Week 16.
From 2014-17, Storer stepped away from the coaching profession to help start a new branch of his family's transportation business, Storer San Francisco. He advanced to general manager, operating commuter shuttle transportation for some of the largest tech companies in the world.
Storer first broke into the NFL when he was an assistant special teams coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two seasons from 2010-11. Storer helped Tampa Bay rank tied for 17th in field goal percentage in 2010 (82.1, 23 of 28) and then second in the league in 2011 (92.9, 26 of 28). The Buccaneers ranked fourth in the NFL in field goal percentage at 87.5 percent in Storer's two seasons assisting with the special teams.
He also worked for the San Diego Chargers for two seasons from 2012-13, first serving as a special teams assistant in 2012 before becoming the assistant linebackers coach in 2013. In 2012, Storer helped San Diego rank No. 3 in the NFL in average opponent starting field position after kickoffs (20.4) after the Chargers ranked No. 26 in the category in 2011 (22.8). The Chargers also ranked No. 3 in the league in FG percentage (92.6, 25 of 27) after checking in at tied for No. 20 (80.0, 28 of 35) in 2011.
Storer played three seasons in the NFL with the Buccaneers from 2007-09 as a fullback, appearing in 25 games and recording 11 special teams tackles before sustaining a career-ending injury.
