Todd Monken is closing in on his defensive coordinator hire.
Todd Monken interviewing Cory Undlin and Mike Rutenberg in person this weekend; could name his DC in a day or twoHouston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, right, speaks with defensive coordinator Cory Undlin during NFL football training camp, Saturday, July 27, 2024, Houston.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Todd Monken conducted in-person interviews with some of his top defensive coordinator candidates this weekend including Texans passing game coordinator Cory Undlin and Falcons passing game coordinator Mike Rutenberg, sources tell cleveland.com. Browns linebackers coach Jason Tarver and safeties coach Ephraim Banda are also still in the mix, with Tarver being the stronger internal candidate based in part on his experience as coordinator of the Raiders from 2012-14. Monken, who’s completed most of the rest of his staff, could name his replacement for Jim Schwartz within the next day or two, the source said. Undlin, 54, and Tarver, 51, are the two finalists with NFL coordinator experience, with Undlin having called the Lions defense in 2020.Browns’ Brook Park traffic plan advances at NOACA He also spent four seasons with the Browns under Romeo Crennel from 2005-08 as defensive quality control coach , secondary/assistant special teams coach and defensive backs coach . Undlin has other big plusses on his resume, including the fact that he won a Super Bowl with the Eagles under Schwartz after the 2017 season, and runs essentially the same system. He also worked with Todd Monken for a season in Jacksonville, when he was defensive backs coach while Monken was receivers coach. He’s has spent the past three seasons as Texans’ pass game coordinator, including his first season in 2023 when he was instrumental in Houston blowing out the Browns, 45-14, in the wild card round. Two of Undlin’s defenders got pick-sixes off Joe Flacco in the third quarter to break the game open. In 2025, Undlin help guide the Texans to No. 1 overall in total yards allowed with 277.2, including No. 6 against the pass with 183.5 and No. 4 in run defense with 93.7. They were also No. 2 in scoring defense with 17.4 points allowed. They were tied for seventh with 47.0 sacks and tied for third in the NFL with 19 interceptions. The Browns were tied for 16th with 11. Rutenberg, the Falcons defensive pass game coordinator, joined Atlanta in 2025 after spending four seasons as linebackers coach for the New York Jets and brought 15 years of NFL experience to the club. In his time in New York, Rutenberg was part of the only defense in the league to rank in the top five of total defense in each of the three seasons , finishing fourth in 2022 before finishing third in both 2023 and 2024. Over the three seasons combined, the Jets’ defense ranked No. 1 in total defense , No. 1 in passing defense , No. 5 in tackles for loss , No. 8 in sacks and No. 9 in scoring defense . In addition to finishing third in total defense in 2024, the Jets defense was fourth in passing defense, allowing only 192.6 yards per game while ranking seventh in sacks per pass attempt at a rate of 8.25 percent. He began his NFL career as a player personnel intern in Washington in 2003, and then became administrative assistant to the head coach. He served as a defensive assistant with the Jaguars from 2013-2019, and then moved on as pass-game specialist for the 49ers in 2020 before working as Jets linebackers from 2021-24. Tarver, who coached linebacker Carson Schwesinger to NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2025, has spent the past six seasons as Browns linebackers coach, including the past three under Schwartz, helping guide a defense that finished No. 1 in many key categories, including total yards allowed. Monken also interviewed the Rams’ Anthony Pleasant, the Panthers’ Jonathan Cooley and the Giants’ Charlie Bullen for the role, but Bullen received an extension and added duties to remain with John Harbaugh.Mary Kay Cabot has more than 30 years experience covering the Cleveland Browns for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com, and became only the second female in Pro Football Hall of Fame history to win the Bill Nunn...
@Yahoo Cory-Undlin Mike-Rutenberg Section:/Browns
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