The Cleveland Browns are promoting tight ends coach and pass game Tommy Rees to offensive coordinator, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday.
Tommy Rees Becomes Browns Offensive Coordinator
The #Browns are promoting Tommy Rees to offensive coordinator, per sources.
A former Notre Dame star QB, Rees becomes one of the NFL’s youngest coordinators at age 32. He previously had stints at ND and Alabama as OC/QB coach before joining Kevin Stefanski’s staff last year. pic.twitter.com/MNlwFB2H1P
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 14, 2025
Rees replaces Ken Dorsey, who was fired after one season as Browns’ offensive coordinator. Rees is a former Browns’ ball boy, a job he had at age 14 while his father, Bill, served as the organization’s director of player personnel.
The Browns hired Rees as the pass game specialist and tight ends coach ahead of the 2024 season. Rees previously served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Nick Saban during the 2023 season.
Rees is best known for his time at Notre Dame as a player and a coach. Reese played quarterback at Notre Dame from 2010-2014. He later served as the Irish’s quarterback coach from 2017-2022 and offensive coordinator from 2020-2022.
Rees, 32, is now one of the youngest playcallers in the NFL.
Cleveland Browns Enter Crucial Offseason
Tommy Rees' promotion to offensive coordinator in Cleveland is a reflection of the respect he earned inside that building—Mike Vrabel, in his time there, liked him enough to want to bring him to New England. The Browns should benefit from Rees' ideas/concepts from college.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 14, 2025
Rees and head coach Kevin Stefanski will now embark on an offseason where they must fix a struggling offense. The Browns finished the regular season ranked 28th in yards per game (300.8), 29th in rushing yards per game (94.6), and last in scoring (15.2).
The biggest question mark for the Browns revolves around the quarterback. Deshaun Watson had the lowest Total QBR in the NFL before tearing his Achilles in Week 7.
Last week, the Browns announced that Watson ruptured his Achilles again and needs surgery, which will cause him to miss most of the 2025 season.
Cleveland still owes Watson $92 million over the next two seasons. However, the team did restructure Watson’s deal, giving them more flexibility to spread out his dead money over multiple years to alleviate the cap hit.
The Browns have the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft. With Watson out, the Browns will consider using their top pick on a quarterback.
