The 49ers hired a passing game specialist for Robert Saleh’s defense, the club announced Friday morning.
Mike Rutenberg, 38, takes over the position Joe Woods held last season before Woods left the 49ers’ coaching staff to become the Cleveland Browns’ defensive coordinator.
Rutenberg spent the past seven seasons on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive staff, including three seasons with Saleh, who then was Jacksonville’s linebackers coach. Rutenberg was a defensive assistant.
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Rutenberg, who attended Cornell, broke into the NFL as a player personnel intern for three seasons under Joe Gibbs with Washington. After spending seven seasons in the college ranks at UCLA and New Mexico State, Rutenberg joined the Jaguars staff in 2013.
The 49ers’ pass defense was best in the league last season, allowing just 169.2 yards passing per game during the regular season. It was the best pass defense in the league since 2009, when the New York Jets allowed 153.7 yards per game.
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