The Cleveland Browns promoted tight ends coach Tommy Rees to be the team’s new offensive coordinator on Tuesday, according to Zac Jackson and Amos Morale III of The Athletic.
The move was a logical one, and figures to pay dividends in the short and long term for Cleveland. Rees’ offensive philosophy in his collegiate stops at Alabama and Notre Dame align well with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski’s, and the general consensus is that they view the game through similar lenses.
The Browns had the worst scoring offense in the NFL last season, due in large part to an unstable running game, a depleted wide receiver corps, and a quarterback in Deshaun Watson who may have been the worst starting quarterback in the league. They couldn’t generate any kind of consistent offensive production, and had zero big play potential.
Rees helped to develop an offense at Alabama that thrived on big plays, using talent that was less than elite (for the Crimson Tide, of course; not compared to college football as a whole). At Notre Dame, he did something similar, maximizing the effectiveness of the Irish’s limited wide receiver talent to generate yards wherever he could.
The area where Rees can really shine is in his knack for developing quarterbacks. He did great work with Jalen Milroe at Alabama in 2023, while also helping maximize the effectiveness of Ian Book, Jack Coan and Drew Pyne in his three years with the Irish.
Given the dire state of the Browns’ quarterback room, and the likelihood that the Browns will be taking a quarterback in the draft, Rees is a logical choice for this job. The fact of the matter is that the Browns might not be actually good for another couple of years, but pairing Rees’ sensibilities with Stefanski’s should show immediate dividends on the offensive side of the ball.
Rees is an up-and-comer in coaching circles; it was only a matter of time before he got an offensive coordinator gig someplace. And with the Browns, he’s found a place where his skills can be put to good use immediately, with a coach who approaches the game the same way he does. It’s not a sure thing, but for a Browns organization that has had nothing go right for them in the last few years, this is absolutely a step in the right direction.
