A few weeks ago, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski handed play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. It took some time to see an impact, but things finally changed in last week’s 24–10 win over the Raiders.
Shedeur Sanders stepping in at quarterback helped spark the offense, but it was also encouraging to see Rees finally able to open up the playbook a bit more.
Rees got creative with goal-line packages and dialed up plays that were better fits for Sanders as opposed to Gabriel, and with another week to prepare, he should be able to further cater the offense to his new rookie quarterback. We’ll see if he and his guys can progress in a tough matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
During a recent article for Cleveland.com, Mary Kay Cabot wrote about the interest that Rees is drawing in college football.
Many believed he was a candidate to leave the Browns this offseason to take over as head coach at UCLA, but Cabot shared that he doesn’t have an interest in returning to college.
“Rees, the top candidate for the North Carolina job last year before Bill Belichick got it, has been mentioned on some betting sites as a candidate to land the UCLA head coaching job. But Rees, who’s done a nice job in his new role as play-caller over the past three weeks, isn’t believed to be interested in returning to the college ranks at this time. Instead, he’ll likely build on what he’s started here in his first year as a play-caller,” Cabot said.
Rees Draws Interest As Browns Seek Stability On Offense
Rees is just 33 and spent 2017-2023 as a college coach before joining the Browns last year as a pass game specialist and tight ends coach. With how poorly Cleveland’s offense has performed this year, you wouldn’t expect many programs to be pounding on Rees’ door to speak with him, but he is on a strong trajectory up the coaching ranks.
Good offensive coordinators almost always get plucked sooner rather than later, but hopefully, Rees can stick around for a few more years and help build this offense up to something special.
Continuity is important, and with so much instability on the offensive side of the ball, it would benefit everybody if Rees stuck around.
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