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 2013, before working with Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs as assistant to the head coach.
