Cleveland Browns Internally Promote Three Members of Defensive Staff

The Cleveland Browns hired Atlanta Falcons passing game coordinator Mike Rutenberg as their new defensive coordinator this week.

Rutenberg beat out Browns linebackers coach Jason Tarver and Houston Texans passing game coordinator Cory Undlin.

On Friday morning, the Browns finalized three internal promotions, including one for Tarver, to support Rutenberg during his first season as defensive coordinator.

According to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns are promoting Tarver to the team’s run game coordinator. Safeties coach Ephraim Banda, who interviewed for several defensive coordinator positions, was promoted to the defensive passing game coordinator. Defensive backs coach Brandon Lynch was promoted to defensive passing game specialist.

These promotions keep three key position coaches involved in the organization in elevated, modernized roles as passing game and run game coordinators have been popularized around the NFL over the last decade.

Tarver's success with the Browns

Tarver had tremendous success during the last six years with the Browns. He was hired in 2020 as the team’s linebackers coach and has developed Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Carson Schwesinger into young stars. Under Tarver’s watch, veterans like Devin Bush had career seasons with the Browns.

Now, Tarver will assist Rutenberg in stopping the run, which was a challenge for the Browns during the second half of last season. In fact, stopping the rush was one of the weak spots of Jim Schwartz’s wide nine defense, so perhaps Rutenberg and Tarver can patch that up, especially with Maliek Collins, Mike Hall Jr. and Mason Graham all hopefully returning to the interior of Cleveland’s defense.

Banda's new role

Banda has been a fast-rising defensive coordinator candidate, and his promotion from safeties coach to passing game coordinator will only fuel that rise. He arrived in Cleveland with Schwartz  in 2023 and developed Grant Delpit into a dominant starting safety. He’s also received great value out of Ronnie Hickman Jr., who was an undrafted free agent.

Banda working with Lynch, who was promoted to passing game specialist, should squeeze the most juice possible out of the talented Browns secondary. Denzel Ward is in his prime and the Tyson Campbell trade looks phenomenal. The Browns could add a nickel cornerback or an additional safety in the NFL Draft to give Banda and Lynch even more resources to deploy.

It was important for the Browns to take care of their three most important position coaches. Schwartz’s departure was explosive and led many to believe that assistants or key, impact players could follow him out of Cleveland.

Even though Tarver and Banda were passed over for the Browns defensive coordinator job, they’ll be back in Cleveland with Lynch in elevated roles.

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