Cleveland

Browns

Teller made a heartfelt post to the city of Cleveland and its fans on social media to say his goodbyes. All five starting offensive linemen for the Browns are set to hit free agency, and now at least one of them will not be back. At 31 years old, the three-time Pro Bowl guard should have plenty of suitors in free agency.

Bitonio, who has been contemplating retirement openly, asked the Browns for a few more weeks to do so. The club agreed. If Bitonio plays in 2026, he’ll be entering his age-35 season. Bitonio last carried a PFF grade above 80 in the 2022 season, though he’s remained solid and reliable for the Browns over the last three seasons.

According to an article published by the New York Post, Hickman was jumped by a group of four men in the lobby of a Manhattan hotel early Monday. The safety was reportedly taken to the hospital and has since been released, with no arrests made in the incident yet. This doesn’t sound like something that will affect Hickman moving into next season. In 2025, the third-year safety totaled 103 tackles, seven pass breakups, and two interceptions with the Browns after being named a full-time starter.

Rutenberg was one of three finalists for the job and now lands his first defensive coordinator role in the NFL. The longtime coach had previous stints with the 49ers (2020) and Jets (2021-2024), and helped lead a secondary that ranked 13th in passing yards allowed and 13th in net yards per attempt, while also ranking sixth in interceptions. Rutenberg will have big shoes to fill taking over for Jim Schwartz, who resigned after being passed over for the Browns’ head coaching job earlier this offseason.

The Cleveland Plain-Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot identified Texans defensive pass game coordinator Cory Undlin and Falcons defensive pass game coordinator Mike Rutenberg as the other two finalists earlier today. Tarver has been in his current role since 2020. Cabot believes new Browns head coach Todd Monken could hire the team’s new defensive coordinator by Monday or Tuesday.

Cabot believes head coach Todd Monken “could name his (defensive coordinator) in the next day or two.” Undlin has over two decades of experience coaching in the NFL, but his lone stint as a defensive coordinator came in 2020 with the Lions. Undlin is one of at least two candidates receiving a second interview for the job, with Falcons’ LB coach Mike Rutenberg also set to meet with the team in person.

The Browns have two first-round picks this year. Wolfe reports that the Browns believe they are “close to set” on defense and are expected to “go heavy on offense” in the 2026 NFL Draft. New head coach Todd Monken’s scheme is said to have more “flexibility” than former head coach Kevin Stefanski’s scheme did, and the Browns apparently believe Monken’s scheme could allow Shedeur Sanders to “use his play-making ability” more effectively. The Browns also “believe” Deshaun Watson will compete with Sanders for the starting role.

Bullen will have the title of run-game coordinator added to his title for the upcoming season. The 41-year-old coach received interviews for defensive coordinator openings from the Browns, Cowboys, and Cardinals after being passed on for the Giants’ DC role, but opted to remove his name from consideration for the remaining openings. Bullen joined the Giants in 2024 and briefly served as the team’s interim defensive coordinator in 2025 after Shane Bowen was fired in late-November.

Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot notes that the Browns also interviewed Falcons defensive pass game coordinator Mike Rutenberg for the job. The Browns were initially expected to keep DC Jim Schwartz in the fold. After being passed over for their head coaching opening, Schwartz chose to resign from his position, meaning he will take the year off from coaching. Though the Browns are far from a functional franchise, the opportunity to coach Myles Garrett is one most young defensive coaches will pounce on. Undlin has been in the NFL for over two decades. He has one year of defensive coordinator experience and even coached in Cleveland for a few seasons early in his NFL days.

New head coach Todd Monken is continuing to build his staff, hiring the 41-year-old Storer as the Browns’ new special teams coordinator. Storer spent the past four seasons as the Packers’ assistant special teams coordinator and previously served in the same role with the Raiders as well. He is a disciple of long-time NFL special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia and now gets his first special teams coordinating job.