The Browns officially announced Tommy Rees as their next offensive coordinator, promoting him after he spent the 2024 season as the tight ends coach/pass game specialist.
"Tommy has an incredible football mind," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "He is extremely bright and has been around the game his entire life. Before joining our staff, he established himself as one of the top assistant coaches in college football. Last season, he transitioned into our tight end room and with our pass game, and he didn't miss a beat. Due to injuries, there was a lot of uncertainty at tight end, but Tommy did a phenomenal job with that group and always had his players ready for gameday, despite, in some cases, only being with the team for a short period of time."
In his first season with the Browns, the tight ends played an important role in the Browns pass game. Five tight ends spent time on the Browns' active roster and combined for 111 receptions, 953 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024.
Despite missing six games due to injury, TE David Njoku finished in the top 10 in receptions and receiving touchdowns among all NFL tight ends. Njoku led the Browns with five receiving touchdowns and finished second on the team with 64 receptions. In his second season in Cleveland, TE Jordan Akins also finished with a career-high 40 receptions for 390 yards, while adding two scores.
Cleveland also had players break individual records in the pass game. WR Jerry Jeudy set a franchise record for receptions in a season with 90 receptions and finished fifth in team history with 1,229 receiving yards. Jeudy also earned his first career Pro Bowl selection and was named a starter. QB Jameis Winston set the franchise single-game record when he threw for 497 passing yards on Dec. 2 against the Broncos.
Now in his new role, Rees will have the opportunity to be at the helm of the Browns offense and lead Cleveland to success in 2025. Rees brings experience as an offensive coordinator from the collegiate level, a position he held both at Alabama and Notre Dame.
He spent one season with Alabama as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2023 season under former head coach Nick Saban. In his lone season with Alabama, Rees helped coach the Crimson Tide to a 12-2 season, with a win in the SEC Championship Game and a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinal – where they lost to the eventual national champion Michigan.
"I grew a lot being in that environment every day, learning from the greatest coach to do it," Rees said in June 2024. "It's something I hold in very high regard. And we grew to have a really nice relationship. I'm going to owe a lot to him throughout my career […] That experience is something that you can't ever really describe in words, and I'm really fortunate to have that opportunity in my career."
He previously spent six seasons as a part of Notre Dame's coaching staff, first as the quarterbacks coach from 2017-19, and then as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2020-22. In three years as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator, the team averaged more than 30 points per game each year and advanced to the College Football Playoff in 2020 after posting an undefeated regular season.
Rees helped develop a number of future NFL draft picks at Notre Dame including TE Michael Mayer (second round pick in 2023), RB Kyren Williams (fifth round pick in 2022), T Liam Eichenberg (second round in 2021), TE Tommy Tremble (third round pick in 2021), T Robert Hainsey (third round pick in 2021), QB Ian Book (fourth round pick in 2021) and WR Ben Skowronek (seventh round pick in 2021). Under Rees' guidance, Book finished his Notre Dame career as the winningest signal-caller in school history and finished second in career passing yards (8,948), completions (728), completion percentage (63.8) and passing touchdowns (72). Book posted a 30-5 record and guided the Irish to two CFP appearances (2018, 2020).
Rees began his coaching career in 2015 as an offensive graduate assistant coach for Pat Fitzgerald with Northwestern. He then spent a season with the San Diego Chargers in 2016 as an offensive assistant when quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 4,386 yards and 33 touchdowns.
"It was always a goal as I looked at my career," Rees said in June 2024 of coaching in the NFL. "I was fortunate to work with the Chargers for a year, and I was exposed to it and really enjoyed it. And then, things in the college game, I was really fortunate to work for some really good people and have some good opportunities there. So, it was always a goal to get back."
Rees' experience reaches beyond just coaching the game. He was a four-year letterwinner at quarterback for Notre Dame from 2010-13, finishing with a 23-8 record as the starting quarterback. He finished second in Notre Dame history with 61 touchdowns passes and third in passing yards with 7,351 yards and later signed as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Commanders.
He chose to pursue coaching after his playing career ended with the support of his father, Bill – who worked as the Browns director of player personnel from 2004-08.
Rees was around the Browns in his early teenage years, acting as a ball boy helping to shag Phil Dawson's kicks or catch for the quarterbacks, as well as working in the equipment room. He said he grew up in an environment where they talked about player evaluation at the dinner table. He had exposure to the player personnel side helped him consider which path to follow following his playing career – and eventually led him into coaching.
"I think when you play and then when you're not good enough to play at the next level and it ends, you try to find that competitiveness that you're missing in your life," Rees said in June 2024. "And I think that the closest thing I could find to that was being a coach and being with the guys every day."
The Browns struggled on the offensive side of the ball throughout the 2024 season as they managed through various injuries to multiple position groups. They started eight different offensive line combinations over the course of the season – including seven in the first eight games.
They also started four different quarterbacks during the 2024 season. QB Deshaun Watson played the first seven games of the season before he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 7 against the Bengals. Winston then took over in Week 8 and started seven games. Then, QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson took over and started Week 16 and 17 before QB Bailey Zappe earned the final start of the season in Week 18.
As the Browns struggled throughout the season, one of the in-season changes Stefanski made was in play-calling duties. Stefanski has been the Browns play caller since he became head coach in 2020; but starting in Week 8, former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey took over play calling.
Yet, their offensive issues persisted over the remainder of the season. The Browns, who finished with a 3-14 record, were last in total points this season, averaging 15.2 points per game. They averaged 94.6 rushing yards per game – ranked 28th in the league – and 20th in average passing yards per game at 206.2.
As the Browns turn their focus to the 2025 season, they know the importance of finding ways to improve the offense. With Rees' experience as a member of the coaching staff for one season, as well as his previous experience as an offensive coordinator, Rees can provide a new perspective in their efforts to correct their issues for the 2025 season.
"Innovation is such a critical element to the offensive game-planning process and Tommy brings that," Stefanski said. "Our intent is to build a sound and explosive offense that will put points on the board and I'm looking forward to working with Tommy to re-shape the Browns offense in 2025."
