New DC hire in Cleveland could spell horrific news for Bengals fans' draft dream

The Cleveland Browns recently hired Mike Rutenberg as their defensive coordinator after the team denied Jim Schwartz the head coaching position. Like a blocked shot from Victor Wembanyama in the NBA All-Star Game, the move forced everyone to work a little harder.

With the Browns already giving the Cincinnati Bengals fits offensively recently, there's a risk that the Rutenberg hire will cause Joe Burrow and Cincinnati's offense to agonize even more. 

However, Bengals fans must brace themselves as there is another way Ruttenberg's hire could cause cataclysmic heartbreak for many in the Queen City come April.

Bengals' hopes to draft Caleb Downs take a hit

While we are still a couple of months out from the 2026 NFL draft, there is an ever-growing sense that Bengals fans have their hearts set on one certain Ohio State safety.

For several months now, Caleb Downs has been the apple, rather buckeye, of Bengals fans’ eyes.

A few days ago, ESPN Draft Analyst Matt Miller added fuel to Bengals fans’ hope fire that Downs could fall to 10 and the Bengals subsequently select the Ohio State standout. 

But now with Rutenberg's arrival in Cleveland, some who cover the browns believe that the team could draft Downs with the sixth-overall pick, robbing the Bengals’ fans of their dream scenario.

Rutenberg’s arrival decreases likelihood of Downs making it to 10 

The safety position has far less positional value in the eyes of evaluators. That is why there will be some hesitation with selecting Downs in the Top-9 of the draft. 

However, as the Bengals, unfortunately, found out in 2025, when you don't have decent play there, the entire defense can suffer.

Rutenberg knows just how important that position is, and can be, having spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons.

In Atlanta, Rutenberg worked with former, and still beloved, Bengals safety Jesse Bates. Then the Falcons drafted a popular Bengals target, former Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts, in the second round.

The Bengals would probably feel a lot better about the state of their defense if they had one or the other, which is why so many fans are thirsty for Downs to fall to be the tenth pick.

However, as more mock drafts emerge, the possibility of Downs being there when the Bengals are on the clock appears to be shrinking.

With the success Rutenberg had in improving Atlanta’s secondary last year, a Downs selection suddenly becomes a distinct possibility for the Bengals' rival.

One reason some anticipated that Jim Schwartz would get the job in Cleveland was that he was the architect of one of the best defenses in the NFL, which is why their front office wanted to keep him around, even though they did not want him as their head coach.

Now, whoever the defensive coordinator was going to be in Cleveland had an advantage in inheriting one of the league’s best defenses. On the other hand, the stage is set for an incredible letdown if the defense were to appear to have a setback of any kind after Schwartz’s resignation.

One way to ensure that the Browns maintain their spot near the top of the defensive rankings is to select, arguably, the best defensive player in this year's draft, regardless of his position.

And, why not break the Bengals fans' hearts in the process?

Another potential reason to hate the Browns

Not that fans needed another reason to despise the Browns, but Downs’ landing in Cleveland would only further fuel the rage of a fanbase hungry for their organization to find a blue-chip player with the 10th overall pick.

It would feel even more diabolical knowing the Browns were to take Cincinnati’s dream draft scenario and use it against their oldest rival for the next eight to ten years, while adding to the ever-growing list of constant reminders of what could have been if only the front office displayed competent evaluation skills when drafting in the first round in particular. 

But the only thing that would feel worse, at least at this point in the process, is if Downs is there when the Bengals are on the clock, and the front office does not select him.