The Cleveland Browns have had arguably the worst offense in the NFL over the past couple of years, though things could improve quite a bit on that side of the ball in 2026 as long as the quarterback situation gets figured out. The draft and free agency periods were heavily focused on bringing more talent to the offense, but even if they do improve, this is a squad that will likely need to rely primarily on its defense to get better in 2026 and beyond.
Even without Myles Garrett, there is plenty of talent on this defense to be a top-ten unit in 2026. Garrett’s successor is fitting in seamlessly and collectively this defense is truly impressing its new defensive coordinator.
Defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg spoke recently and raved about his guys. He is excited about the morale, how quickly Jared Verse has been welcomed into the mix, and can’t wait to see how his defense can get after quarterbacks and make big plays.
“You’ve been out here the last three days, right? How’ve you thought morale has been? It’s been awesome. Not only the guys welcoming Jared, but Jared jumping right into the brotherhood that’s been here that we’re building on. Guys like [Alex Wright], guys like Quincy, bringing and welcoming a new member of our brotherhood in. Then, who Jared is as a person, first and foremost, what he brings, his infectious personality, his desire to be great and bring others with him. It’s been awesome. We are so excited about what we have here. I can’t wait to see us rush. I can’t wait to see us jump off the ball with the group that we have. I’m so excited about it,” Rutenberg said.
Verse won’t be expected to rack up 23 sacks, but he can be a double-digit sack threat for the better part of the next decade in this defense. He’ll fit right in alongside so many of the other young talents like Carson Schwesinger and Mason Graham, and the icing on the cake is that he is 25 and better fits the timeline of his teammates than Garrett did.
It’s also nice to see Rutenberg shout out other major talents like Alex Wright and Quincy Williams, both of whom could also take big leaps forward in this defense. Rutenberg was the linebackers coach for the New York Jets from 2021-24, so he is quite familiar with Williams and will be able to hopefully put him in a place to mitigate the loss of Devin Bush.
The QB competition and the Garrett trade are taking all the headlines at the moment, but this defense deserves some more attention. It’s going to be a fun year on that side of the ball under Mike Rutenberg.
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