Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken went “outside the family” to hire Mike Rutenberg as the team’s defensive coordinator.
While Monken’s offensive coaching staff has seen almost a complete turnover, save for wide receivers coach Christian Jones and running backs coach Duce Staley, the situation has been somewhat quiet on the defensive side of the ball as the team focused on the defensive coordinator position.
That is starting to change now that Rutenberg is on board, and on Thursday, the news broke that the Browns are promoting Brandon Lynch from cornerbacks coach to defensive backs coach/defensive pass game specialist.
That is according to Jonathan Jones at CBS Sports.
Lynch joined the Browns in 2020 as an assistant defensive backs coach. He started his coaching career in 2010 as an NFLPA coaching intern with Wilmington College. Lynch received his first taste of coaching at the professional level in 2013 when he earned a Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship with the Minnesota Vikings.
He played in the NFL for three seasons, first as a safety with the Tennessee Titans (2004), and then as a cornerback and safety for the Indianapolis Colts for two seasons (2005 to 2006). Lynch finished his professional career in the Canadian Football League, playing two seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2007 to 2009).
Lynch was recently a guest on the Coaching Crossover podcast, where he talked about how he communicates with players and fellow coaches, his transition from playing to coaching, and the coaches who have paved the way for him.
Lynch has drawn interest from other teams, previously interviewing with the Titans for their vacant defensive coordinator position in 2024.
During his time in Cleveland, Lynch has worked with a cornerback group led by Denzel Ward, and Lynch was part of the coaching staff that helped Tyson Campbell make a solid transition after he was acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars midway through the 2025 season.