Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich raves about new Cleveland Browns DC Mike Rutenberg
Todd Monken has his new defensive coordinator as the new Cleveland Browns head man tabbed Mike Rutenberg for the job. It'll be Rutenberg's first attempt at being a DC after working under the newly anointed Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh for much of his career.
Without the previous experience of overseeing a defense, what Rutenberg's colleagues have to say about him can help provide some insight into how he'll handle the DC role.
After spending the 2025 season with the Falcons' as a defensive pass game coordinator, Rutenberg left quite the impression on Atlanta's DC Jeff Ulbrich.
“He’s one of the best teachers in this league,” Ulbrich said of Rutenberg via Josh Kendall of The Athletic “He understands the back end at a PhD-plus level. He’s a huge part of our success back there. Whether he gets a coordinator job this season or next, it’s inevitable. He’s too good a coach.”
Rutenberg's football knowledge clearly impressed Ulbrich even in just a single season in Atlanta. And while he may have been primarily focused on the Falcons' coverage schemes, he's had plenty of experience with all three levels of the defense over the course of his coaching tenure.
Before coming to Atlanta, he was a linebacker coach under Saleh with the New York Jets for four years. He was also an assistant linebacker coach, a defensive assistant, and an assistant defensive backs coach during a seven-year stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He also has plenty of experience with the wide-9, attack-minded defensive front that former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz implemented here in Cleveland, due to his years spent with Gus Bradley and Saleh. There's also been a lot said about Rutenberg being a high-energy guy, much like Saleh.
The 44-year-old will have an opportunity to take what Schwartz started here in Cleveland and build upon it. Some of the biggest wrinkles he'll add are likely to come on the back end, where he'll work in some different zone coverages than Schwartz to complement the Browns' man-heavy philosophy.
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