The Browns will have another coach on the sideline during the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl – but coaching for the other team.
The Reese's Senior Bowl announced defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire will serve as the defensive coordinator for the National team. Cesaire will coach alongside Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka – who will be the head coach – Packers pass game coordinator Jason Vrable – who will serve as offensive coordinator – and Titans Coaching Assistant Perry Carter – who will be the special teams coordinator.
The Reese's Senior Bowl provides top seniors and draft prospects a chance to showcase their talent and connect with coaches, scouts and front office members. There are three practices before the game on Feb. 1.
Cesaire joined the Browns coaching staff in 2024, bringing 19 years of experience both as an NFL player and a coach. He coached a defensive line that featured six-time Pro Bowler DE Myles Garrett who broke franchise records and made NFL history during the 2024 season. Garrett led the NFL with 22 tackles for loss and finished second in the league with 14 sacks this season. He also became the first player in NFL history to record at least 14 sacks in four consecutive seasons.
Cesaire joined the Browns after spending the previous two seasons as the defensive line coach in Houston from 2022-23. He developed 2023 third overall draft pick DE Will Anderson, who was named the 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and set a Texans rookie record with seven sacks en route to being named to the Pro Bowl. DE Jonathan Greenard led the Texans with 12.5 sacks in 2023, as Houston set a franchise record with 46.0 sacks, while capturing the AFC South title.
Cesaire spent two seasons from 2020-21 as the assistant defensive line coach in Buffalo. The Bills led the NFL in both total defense with 272.8 yards per game and scoring defense with 17.0 points per game in 2021, and Buffalo won the AFC East title both seasons.
Before making the jump to coaching in the NFL, he spent five years as the defensive line coach for the University of San Diego from 2015-19. Cesaire worked directly with collegiate athletes such as DE Jonathan Petersen, who became the FCS's all-time career sacks leader with 44 and was named the PFL 2017 Defensive Player of the Year.
The experience he brings for the athletes at the Senior Bowl continues, as Cesaire has nine years of experience as a player in the NFL. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and played defensive end for the San Diego Chargers from 2003-11. He appeared in 125 games with 66 starts and totaled 220 tackles, 12.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
This is the third year the Senior Bowl has implemented a "Coach Up" format where coordinators and assistant coaches are placed into elevated or different roles from the ones they currently hold with their respective clubs.
Head coaches and general managers from all non-playoff teams and Wild Card round participants had the opportunity to nominate assistant coaches and those candidates were then selected by a group comprised of league office executives and representatives from the General Managers Advisory Committee. In total, at least one coach from 13 different teams that submitted nominations was chosen for this year's game.
