The Cleveland Browns have found their next offensive coordinator. After conducting a search for a new leader on offense, the club has elected to promote passing game specialist and tight ends coach Tommy Rees to the role, according to NFL Media. This makes Rees, 32, one of the youngest coordinators throughout the NFL.
The promotion comes after the Browns fired former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey after just one season on the job. Dorsey's departure came after he and head coach Kevin Stefanski struggled to find consistent success on offense throughout Cleveland's 2024 campaign.
While injuries mixed with poor quarterback play helped plague the offense, there was also a jockeying between Stefanski and Dorsey as it related to play-calling duties. Stefanski began the year as the Browns play-caller on offense but then gave those duties to Dorsey in Week 8. Even with that shake-up, the Cleveland offense left little to be desired, ranking last in the league in points per game (15.2) and 31st in total yards per play (4.6).
So, Rees will be tasked with working alongside Stefanski to help rejuvenate the unit. The key question with their blossoming relationship is whether or not Rees will be given play-calling duties or if that'll go back to Stefanski.
Rees gets this promotion after coaching one season with the Browns. Before that, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Alabama (2023) and Notre Dame (2020-2022). Before committing to Rees, the Browns interviewed a handful of external candidates like former Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who worked with Stefanski in Minnesota.
Had Cleveland gone in a different direction at OC, it would've been curious to see where Rees ended up as there was some scuttlebutt that he could join newly hired Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel's staff in New England. Vrabel spent the 2023 season with the Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant, which is where he forged the connection with Rees.
With Rees now solidified, the next major questions offensively will revolve around what the Browns do at quarterback. Starter Deshaun Watson suffered another Achilles tear, which puts his 2025 season in doubt. With the franchise armed with the No. 2 pick at the 2025 NFL Draft, Cleveland could look to pair their young OC with a young quarterback to develop alongside one another.
