The Cleveland Browns officially have their new offensive coordinator.
Instead of going after a big name or an outside hire, they promoted from within, elevating Tommy Rees to the position.
Notably, this could also reveal their hand in the NFL Draft.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, promoting Rees might mean that they’ve set their sights on Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe:
“If the Browns decide to draft Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe at No. 2 overall, they have just the man to coach him up. In his lone season with the ‘Tide in ‘23, Rees worked with the Milroe, who’s on the Browns radar in the 2025 NFL Draft. Milroe is ranked No. 1 among college prospects this season by Pro Football Focus, ahead of Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders,” Cabot said.
Rees helped Milroe finish the 2023 season with 2,834 passing yards, 35 total touchdowns (23 passing, 12 rush), and six picks.
However, as talented as he clearly is, most scouts have him as an early second-round pick, so the team might not need to take him with such a valuable pick at No. 2.
Over 50 air-yards on a dime to Jermaine Burton in the endonze. Great arm-strength and accuracy by Jalen Milroe.
Also does a good job avoiding the rush and stepping into the throw. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/9qtoamd1hI
— WBG84 (@WBG84) January 15, 2025
Instead, they could look to bolster their shaky offensive line, or trade down to go after another talented prospect, such as Abdul Carter.
As for Rees, he doesn’t have play-calling experience in the NFL, which shouldn’t be an issue under Kevin Stefanski, but he did call plays for both Alabama and Notre Dame.
On top of that, he’s a former quarterback and quarterbacks coach, so he should be able to give a helping hand to any rookie they decide to go after.
Rees beat Darrell Bevell, Charles London, Kevin Koger, and Klint Kubiak for the position, but he will face some steep challenges.
The Browns averaged the fewest points per game (15.2) and had the most giveaways in the league (34) last season, and there will be plenty of issues to clean up to get this team back on track.
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