{{Short description|American football coach (born 1981)}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Mike Rutenberg | image = | alt = | caption = | number = | current_team = Cleveland Browns | position = Defensive Coordinator | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|10|29}} | birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | height_ft = | height_in = | weight_lb = | high_school = Landon School<br>(Bethesda, Maryland) | college = Cornell (1999–2002) | undraftedyear = 2003 | pastteams = * {{ubl|Washington Redskins ({{nfly|2003|2005}})}} ** {{ubl|Player personnel intern ({{NFL Year|2003}})}} ** {{ubl|Administrative assistant to the head coach ({{nfly|2004|2005}})}} * UCLA (2006–2008)<br>Graduate assistant * New Mexico State (2009–2012)<br>Passing game coordinator & defensive backs coach * {{ubl|Jacksonville Jaguars ({{nfly|2013|2019}})}} ** {{ubl|Assistant defensive backs coach ({{nfly|2013|2015}})}} ** {{ubl|Defensive assistant ({{nfly|2016|2017}})}} ** {{ubl|Assistant linebackers coach ({{nfly|2018|2019}})}} * San Francisco 49ers ({{nfly|2020}})<br>Passing game specialist * New York Jets ({{nfly|2021|2024}})<br>Linebackers coach * Atlanta Falcons ({{nfly|2025}})<br>Defensive pass game coordinator * Cleveland Browns ({{nfly|2026}}–present)<br>Defensive coordinator | highlights = | pfrcoach = RuteMi0 }} '''Mike Rutenberg''' (born October 29, 1981) is an American professional football coach who is currently the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He attended Cornell University and has previously coached for the Washington Redskins, UCLA Bruins, New Mexico State Aggies, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, and Atlanta Falcons.
==Early life== Ruternberg was born on October 29, 1981, in Washington, D.C.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://profootballarchives.com/coaches/rute00400.html|website=Pro Football Archives|title=Mike Rutenberg Coaching Record}}</ref> He attended the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland.<ref name="auto2"/> After high school, he attended Cornell University in New York from 1999 to 2002.<ref name="auto2"/> Both his parents had also attended Cornell.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-cloud-times/190149172/|newspaper=St. Cloud Times|via=Newspapers.com|date=November 13, 2009|page=33|title=Deal puts N.M. assistant at low end of pay scale}}</ref> In college, Rutenberg competed in sprint football, a version of football which requires players to be under a certain weight and has an emphasis on speed and agility.<ref name="auto"/> He was a linebacker with the Cornell sprint football team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cornellbigred.com/sports/sprint-football/roster/mike-rutenberg/30563|publisher=Cornell Big Red|title=Mike Rutenberg}}</ref> ==Coaching career== In 2003, Rutenberg began working for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) as a player personnel intern.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite news|url=https://jetswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/jets/2021/02/05/new-york-jets-linebackers-coach-mike-rutenberger-things-to-know/79820805007/|newspaper=USA Today|title=4 things to know about Jets linebackers coach Mike Rutenberg|author=Calvaruso, Tyler|date=February 5, 2021}}</ref> The following year, he received the position of administrative assistant to the head coach, Joe Gibbs, which he held through 2005.<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://media.49ers.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/21175234/Rutenberg-Mike.pdf|website=media.49ers.1rmg.com|publisher=San Francisco 49ers|date=August 2020|title=Mike Rutenberg|access-date=January 29, 2026}}</ref> In that role, he was Gibbs' "right-hand man, putting together the team's daily calendar, practice schedules and meeting presentations, [and working] hand-in-hand with Gibbs to research opponents from a statistical standpoint," according to ''USA Today''.<ref name="auto1"/> During his stint with the Redskins, Rutenberg was also involved in organizing free agent workouts and worked on the team's computer scouting systems.<ref name="auto1"/>
In 2006, Rutenberg became a graduate assistant working with the defense for the UCLA Bruins.<ref name="auto3"/> He helped run the scout team defense and developed defensive gameplans with the Bruins.<ref name="auto1"/> After three years at UCLA, he became the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach for the New Mexico State Aggies in 2009.<ref name="auto3"/> According to ''USA Today'', Rutenberg's salary at New Mexico State was $30,000, tied with Marty Humphrey of Louisiana–Monroe as the lowest salary among all coaches at the NCAA Division I FBS level.<ref name="auto"/> He served four years at New Mexico State, mentoring future NFL cornerback Davon House, before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013 as assistant defensive backs coach.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-florida-times-union/190150847/|newspaper=Florida Times-Union|via=Newspapers.com|date=February 6, 2013|page=15|title=Rutenberg hired}}</ref>
Rutenberg served as assistant defensive backs coach for the Jaguars from 2013 to 2015, then became a defensive assistant in 2016.<ref name="auto3"/> After holding that title for two years, he finished his stint with the Jaguars as assistant linebackers coach from 2018 to 2019.<ref name="auto3"/> In 2020, he joined the San Francisco 49ers as pass game specialist, working under Robert Saleh, who had also previously been on the Jaguars staff.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nfl/49ers-hire-mike-rutenberg-as-passing-game-specialist-on-defensive-staff/1250347/|publisher=NBC Sports Bay Area|title=49ers hire Mike Rutenberg as passing game specialist on defensive staff |author=Maiocco, Matt|date=June 12, 2020}}</ref> After one year there, he followed Saleh to the New York Jets and became the team's linebackers coach.<ref name="auto1"/> Rutenberg worked four years in that position, helping the team's defense rank top five in the league in total defense in three of those years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://albanyherald.com/sports/professional/atlanta-falcons-add-mike-rutenberg-to-coaching-staff/|newspaper=Albany Herald|title=Atlanta Falcons add Mike Rutenberg to coaching staff|date=January 26, 2025|author=Whitfield, Joe}}</ref> After the 2024 season, he left the Jets and became the defensive pass game coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nfl/falcons-add-mike-rutenberg-and-nate-ollie-as-defensive-assistants-under-new-coordinator-jeff-ulbrich|publisher=Fox Sports|agency=Associated Press|title=Falcons add Mike Rutenberg and Nate Ollie as defensive assistants under new coordinator Jeff Ulbrich|date=January 24, 2025}}</ref> In 2026, he was one of the coaches interviewed by the Tennessee Titans as a defensive coordinator candidate.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/titans/2026/01/25/tennessee-titans-request-interview-falcons-mike-rutenberg-dc/88349728007/|newspaper=USA Today|date=January 25, 2026|title=Titans request interview with Mike Rutenberg for coordinator opening|author=Mihalko, Mark}}</ref>
On February 20, 2026, Rutenberg was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns under new head coach Todd Monken.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/browns-name-coordinators-for-the-2026-coaching-staff|work=ClevelandBrowns.com|title=Browns name coordinators for the 2026 coaching staff|date=February 20, 2026|first=Kelsey|last=Russo}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/coaches-roster/mike-rutenberg Cleveland Browns profile] {{NFL defensive coordinators}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rutenberg, Mike}} Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Players of American football from Washington, D.C. Category:Coaches of American football from Washington, D.C. Category:Cornell University alumni Category:Washington Redskins coaches Category:UCLA Bruins football coaches Category:New Mexico State Aggies football coaches Category:Jacksonville Jaguars coaches Category:San Francisco 49ers coaches Category:New York Jets coaches Category:Atlanta Falcons coaches Category:Cleveland Browns coaches