CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Tommy Rees is quickly ascending the coaching ranks and though in NFL circles to be a head coach in waiting.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t want to let him get away.
On Tuesday, Stefanski and the Browns agreed to promote Rees to offensive coordinator and the move was made official by the team on Wednesday.
“Tommy has an incredible football mind,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said in a statement announcing the promotion. “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.”
Rees replaces Ken Dorsey, who was fired after one year, after the Browns finished with one of the lowest producing offenses for the franchise since returning to the NFL in 1999.
“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,” Stefanski said.
New Patriots head coach and former Browns consultant Mike Vrabel expressed interest in hiring Rees to join him in New England. Reese was also a candidate for the North Carolina head coaching job before the school hired Bill Belichick.
This past season Vrabel worked with Rees, who was the tight ends coach and pass game specialist.
“Due to injuries, there was a lot of uncertainty at tight end,” Stefanski said. “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. Innovation is such a critical element to the offensive game-planning process and Tommy brings that.”
Rees joined the Browns in 2024 after spending a year in as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Rees was previously Notre Dame’s quarterbacks coach from 2017-2019 and then offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2020-2022.
Rees’ history with the Browns however began years ago when he served as a Browns ball boy when he was 14 and his dad, Bill, was the team’s director of player personnel.
Stefanski also interviewed Dolphins quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell, Seahawks quarterbacks coach Charles London, Falcons tight ends coach Kevin Koger, and Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak for the job.