Jim Schwartz was only the Cleveland Browns’ defensive coordinator for three seasons, but he made a big impact on this organization and the Browns’ locker room. Players were pushing for him to get the head coaching gig when Kevin Stefanski was shown the door, but the job was ultimately given to Todd Monken.
After being looked over for the job, Schwartz mulled over his options, but ultimately decided to leave. This kicked off a search for the Browns’ newest DC, which ended in Mike Rutenberg taking over.
Rutenberg has 14 years of NFL experience that will undoubtedly serve him well in this role, but he has big shoes to fill with Schwartz no longer there. Reporter Dan Labbe mentioned as much in a recent article, indicating that there are a lot of boxes that the front office and fanbase will be looking for him to check.
“The first task for Rutenberg will be to win those players over. It’s probably not a coincidence how much he has emphasized relationship building in many of his early opportunities to talk about how he does the job. Then it’s about keeping the defensive machine rolling, all while adding new wrinkles to make it even better. Can he continue the development of the team’s young edge rushers opposite Myles Garrett? What can he pull out of the young defensive tackles, most importantly Mason Graham, the No. 5 overall pick last year? Can he turn Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell into one of the league’s dominant cornerback duos? Can he pull the best out of whoever they line up at slot corner?” Labbe wrote.
As Labbe pointed out, winning over the locker room is priority No. 1. Stefanski was seen as a player’s coach, which is a nice trait in theory, but many believed he was too friendly, which could have been one of the contributing factors to his downfall.
If these players don’t trust him, Monken and Travis Switzer, it’s going to be extremely difficult for them to accomplish anything in their first year with the organization. Plus, Rutenberg is tasked with taking over one of the best defenses in the league from a year ago, and as Labbe noted, keeping momentum is critical for this unit.
If they take any steps back or experience any surprises or hiccups, Rutenberg is going to be held accountable. While the defense has lost a few players, they’re mostly running it back in 2026, which should put him in a favorable position to succeed.
NEXT: Former Player Reveals What Went Wrong With Kevin Stefanski
