Cleveland Browns Swipe Prominent Falcons Assistant Coach

The Cleveland Browns are reportedly hiring Atlanta Falcons defensive pass-game coordinator Mike Rutenberg for their defensive coordinator position, according to a report from NFL insider Tom Pelissero.

Rutenberg, 44, is considered to be an up-and-coming assistant in the league.

He has been coaching in the NFL for 16 years, with stops with the Falcons (2025), Jets (2021-24), San Francisco 49ers (2020), Jacksonville Jaguars (2013-19), and Washington Redskins (2003-2005). He also has a pair of stops in college football, with UCLA (2006-08) and New Mexico State (2009-12).

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Rutenberg, 44, was named defensive pass game coordinator for the Falcons in 2025, joining the team alongside Jeff Ulbrich from the New York Jets. He spent four seasons there, where he was a part of the only defense in the league to rank in the top five of total defense in each of the three seasons (2022-24), finishing fourth in 2022 and third in both 2023 and 2024.

In 2025, the Falcons’ defense finished with the No. 14 pass defense in terms of expected points added per pass (-0.08) and No. 13 in passing yards allowed (13) despite eight games without at least one of its starting outside cornerbacks. The Falcons also featured a pair of rookies in that secondary, with Xavier Watts finishing with votes as Defensive Rookie of the Year.

“He does an amazing job. He's one of the best teachers in this game. He understands the back end at a PhD-plus level. He's a great teacher of it,” Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “He's a huge part of our success back there. Whether he gets a coordinator job this year or next is common, because he's just too good of a coach, too good of a man, too good of a teammate, staff member.

“So I'm excited for his future. Obviously, selfishly, I don't want to lose him, and I'd love for him to be with us this year and for the foreseeable future. But he's got a bright future, he really does.”

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The defensive coach, who was also a finalist for the same position with the Tennessee Titans on Robert Saleh’s new staff, will now step in for the new staff under Todd Monken. He was considered for the position alongside Los Angeles Rams defensive pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant, Carolina Panthers defensive pass game coordinator Jonathan Cooley, plus Browns’ safeties coach and linebackers coaches Ephrahim Banda and Jason Tarver.

Monken, the former offensive coordinator for both the Georgia Bulldogs and Baltimore Ravens, was hired on January 28th to take over as the Browns’ new head coach. However, due to the hire of Monken, the Browns lost defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who was also in the running for the position. Schwartz resigned his position after the Browns passed him over for Monken.