BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Kevin Stefanski is going back to what he does best.
As he introduced Tommy Rees, who as promoted from tight ends coach to offensive coordinator, Stefanski ended the suspense over who will call plays in 2025.
“I'm going to call plays and I reserve the right to change my mind,” Stefanski said.
Rees takes over for Ken Dorsey, wo was fired after one season in the wake of one of the lowest offensive outputs for the franchise since returning to the NFL in 1999.
While specifics of Rees’ day-to-day responsibilities were not spelled out on Thursday, it appears he will assume a similar role to that of former offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt from 2020-2023.
“I think we're going to work together,” Rees said. “We want to have a system that is sound. We want to have a system that is explosive, but at the end of the day, we want a system that caters and really highlights our player's strengths. And so it's always going to be player centric. It's always going to be in the front of the mind to make sure we're doing things that are sound football wise, and then how do we create opportunities for our players and our offense to be explosive.”
Cleveland’s offense ranked 28th in yards per game, 29th rushing, 22nd passing, 30th in sacks allowed, 27th in first downs per game, 32nd in third down efficiency and points per game last season.
Rees and the Browns don’t know who their quarterback will be next season making building an offense challenging. They will sign a veteran or two this offseason and of course a young player through the draft appears very likely.
“I think you want to build an offense that has flexibility to be able to cater to any quarterback strengths,” Rees said. “And that's what we're after here and that's what we're trying to build and we have to be malleable in our ability to shape the offense, to really highlight the strengths of that player. And I know we're going to put a system together that's able to do that.”
Rees stayed away from any specific questions about members of this draft class, including his former quarterback at Alabama Jalen Milroe.
“I'm not going to talk about any of the players that are in the draft and look forward to the evaluation process with that,” Rees said.
What role Rees will play in the draft evaluation process apparently is to be determined.
“A lot of those conversations are still to be had,” Rees said. “Obviously the evaluation process is ongoing for the quarterbacks I'll be involved in that, whether we're at the Shrine Bowl [or] Senior Bowl, those decisions are yet to be made.”
Although who the Browns quarterback will be remains a mystery, Rees knows exactly what he wants from the position.
“The quarterback's job is to solve problems,” Rees said. “You're going to be tasked 60, 70, 80 times a game to make a decision in a critical moment. And so I've always started with the ability to make quick decisions and make the right decisions. So if you said one thing over the other, I want a decision maker at that position.”
