Cleveland Browns Promote Key Position Coach to Larger Role

Mike Rutenberg has made his first major decision as the new defensive coordinator, including a major promotion for an important position coach.

Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. hugs cornerbacks coach Brandon Lynch after minicamp practice, Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Berea. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

The turnover in Cleveland has been monumental since the start of 2026. The Browns will have a new head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator for the first time since the start of the 2020 season when they moved on from Freddie Kitchens, Todd Monken, and Steve Wilks.

Monken will be back in Cleveland now, this time at the helm, at offensive coordinator; he brought Ravens coordinator Travis Switzer with him from Baltimore. On the defensive side, Mike Rutenburg was brought in to replace Jim Schwartz just a couple of days ago, as the former Falcons coach landed his first coordinator position.

Rutenberg did not waste any time in making his first move, being in charge of the defense, as he promoted cornerbacks coach Brandon Lynch to DBs coach/pass game specialist. 

Brandon Lynch's future in Cleveland

Lynch is looked at as a future defensive coordinator in the league and was pursued by a few teams this offseason. 

Lynch was born in Augusta, Georgia, he attended Hephzibah High School in Georgia. He played college football at Middle Tennessee State, where he was a linebacker. He would go undrafted in the 2004 NFL Draft, but signed with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent.

Lynch was signed and released from the Colts' practice squad in both 2005 and 2006, but was released after Indianapolis won the Super Bowl that year. His playing career in the NFL ended then, but he played a couple of years in the Canadian Football League from 2007 to 2009.

His NFL coaching career began in 2013, where he was a minority intern for the Minnesota Vikings. He did not last long in the league, as he transitioned to the college ranks, where he went to Northern Iowa from 2013 to 2016, specializing in the secondary and defense. Lynch then moved to East Carolina, where he held the same roles until 2019, before jumping back into the NFL in 2020. 

Lynch has been with the Browns since then. He started as an assistant defensive backs coach from 2020 to 2022, where he helped the Browns' defense lead the league in red zone takeaways in 2020. In 2021, Cleveland had another good year defending the pass as it ranked in the top five in pass defense. 

In 2023, he was promoted to cornerbacks coach, and now he will also take on the pass game specialist role, where he will be in charge of developing schemes and game plans to defend the pass.

Subscribe on YouTube for daily Browns coverage: