Cleveland Browns new DC: ‘It’s about building relationships’

Berea, Ohio — When Mike Rutenberg stepped to the podium Wednesday afternoon, he did so as the man charged with maintaining the one segment of the Cleveland Browns that has actually worked. After three seasons under Jim Schwartz, the Browns’ defense evolved into the franchise’s lone reliable pillar, anchored by All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett, cornerback Denzel Ward and emerging linebacker Carson Schwesinger. Yet when ownership tabbed offensive coordinator Todd Monken to replace Kevin Stefanski instead of promoting Schwartz, the veteran play-caller elected to leave Berea altogether, thrusting Rutenberg into the spotlight and into a locker room that openly campaigned for his predecessor.

Rather than flinch, the 44-year-old coordinator—who has held defensive posts with four NFL clubs since 2013—framed the moment as a clean slate built on personal connection.

“Any new opportunity is about building relationships, right?” Rutenberg said during his introductory press conference. “And relationships come from the heart. So we’re going to build relationships. I’m going to learn about the players, learn about the coaches, share my story, and learn their story.”

Rutenberg’s collaborative tone is by design. He inherits a unit that finished among the league’s top 10 in multiple categories under Schwartz’s aggressive 4-3 front, but one that also faded down the stretch as the offense sputtered. Retaining several holdover assistants, including defensive line coach and run-game coordinator John Parrella, should ease schematic transition. Rutenberg also leans on a professional rapport with former Jets and 49ers colleague Robert Saleh, whose defensive principles overlap with the downhill, attacking style Cleveland deployed the past three seasons.

Still, the new coordinator made clear that X’s and O’s won’t define his tenure; effort will.

“It’s always going to be style over scheme,” Rutenberg emphasized. “No matter what, the way we play, how hard we play, playing for each other, how fast we play, and how violent we play. That’s always going to be over scheme.”

The early challenge will be managing potential resentment from veterans who viewed Schwartz as the rightful head-coach successor. Rutenberg’s solution is immersion: family lives, off-field passions, even the occasional reminder about Garrett’s recent speeding incident—anything to humanize the process.

“Whatever is important to the players, I want to learn about them,” he said. “Whether it’s their families, whether it’s football, any outside interests, I’m going to dive right in and build those relationships.”

Cleveland’s front office is banking that Rutenberg’s people-first approach married to a front-seven-centric philosophy can nudge an already stout defense toward dominance. The roster remains largely intact, but the psyche of the unit rests in the hands of a first-time Browns coordinator eager to prove that connection breeds contention.

Cleveland opens the season in Kansas City, affording Rutenberg an immediate referendum on whether relationships can, indeed, trump pedigree.