Todd Monken joining the Cleveland Browns as their new head coach has evolved into a very positive development. The 60-year-old has made quite an impression so far, and he is expected to greatly improve an offense that had grown very stale and ineffective under Kevin Stefanski.
The same reaction hasn’t come all the way around for the defense, at least not yet. First-time coordinator Mike Rutenberg isn’t entirely viewed as a worthy successor to Jim Schwartz, who had the Browns ranked among the NFL’s best units over the past three seasons.
But based on the talent at hand, there is a clear path to success for Rutenberg in his first season, and the new Browns DC could unlock the potential of the defense based on his ability in one particular area.
“Rutenberg is respected for his knowledge of the secondary, and it seems like there will be plenty of three-safety looks highlighted by Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman, and rookie Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. This is an evolving trend, with pass catchers getting bigger and safeties having the size to match up. Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell both return as the top two corners, and Campbell really came out of his shell playing in a man-heavy scheme in Cleveland last season. Myles Harden and Dom Jones also add depth,” Ashley Bastock of Cleveland.com wrote.
The Browns’ defensive backs have not drawn the praise leading up to this season that their performances deserve. In fact, there has been more talk about Cleveland potentially trading away Ward or Delpit than about what they could bring to the defense this season.
That is somewhat understandable, considering what has happened this offseason on the other two levels of the defense. NFL sacks record-holder Myles Garrett was traded away, bringing Jared Verse to the defensive front in return. The Browns also signed free agent linebacker Quincy Williams to play alongside Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger.
The Browns used just two of their 10 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft on defensive players, but they did trade up to acquire McNeil-Warren in the second round. He has shown he was worthy of that investment during minicamps and OTAs, and he will look to continue his development once training camp opens this week.
That could allow Rutenberg to use the schemes that proved to be so successful last season, when he was the defensive pass game coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. There, he helped Jessie Bates III and rookie Xavier Watts become one of the best safety tandems in the league.
So, even though he isn’t Schwartz, Rutenberg is accomplished enough in his own right to have the Browns equally optimistic about their defense heading into this season.
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