For the second year in a row, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is giving up play-calling to his offensive coordinator.
Coming out of the bye, Stefanski announced in his Monday press conference that Tommy Rees will take over offensive play-calling moving forward.
“These are things that I’m always looking at — what can we do better,” Stefanski said of his decision, via Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald. “I have a ton of trust and faith in Tommy. He’s more than capable, so excited for him. But, bottom line is, we have to just get better collectively — so that’s offense, that’s defense, that’s special teams, that’s players, that’s coaching. So, that’s our charge and that’s what we’re working hard to do.”
Stefanski said the bye week allowed him to look at things, and he felt like Rees gives the offense a good chance to improve.
“I just felt like it was the right time for this,” Stefanski said. “It’s never about one person, whether you talk about a player or a coach. But, obviously, I think Tommy’s going to be himself and that’s what I’m asking him to do. I’ll be there every step of the way to help him in any way I can — like you should with any play-caller. But, bottom line is, he understands what we need to do, which is stay on the field and score some points.”
The quarterback will remain the same, so rookie Dillon Gabriel is set to make his fifth start when the Browns play the Jets on Sunday.
Stefanski had been Cleveland’s offensive play-caller since he was hired in 2020 until he gave that role up to former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey midway through the 2024 season. Stefanski took the role back for 2025 after promoting Rees to OC during the offseason.
Rees, 33, played quarterback at Notre Dame before getting into coaching. He was the QBs coach and offensive coordinator for his Alma Mater before serving as OC and QBs coach under Nick Saban at Alabama in 2023. He joined the Browns’ staff in 2024 as a pass game specialist and tight ends coach.
The Jets are off this weekend. Their front office is working.
Per a league source, the Jets are getting plenty of calls in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline. They do not, however, intend to have a fire sale.
Most of the calls have focused on defensive lineman Micheal Clemons, pass rusher Jermaine Johnson, and running back Breece Hall.
Both Clemons and Hall are in the final year of their contract. Johnson is signed through 2027, with a $13.4 million fifth-year option on his 2022 first-round contract.
The Jets are 1-7. They picked up their first win over the season last weekend at Cincinnati. They host the Browns next weekend.
The best argument against expanding the NFL from 32 teams is that there simply aren’t enough quarterbacks.
Especially as the season unfolds, and quarterbacks inevitably are injured.
On Wednesday, five quarterbacks received tryouts with new teams. The Jets worked out Desmond Ridder and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The Cardinals worked out Jeff Driskel, Kyle Trask, Logan Woodside.
Of the group, Ridder has the most experience. The third-round pick in the 2022 draft has started 18 games — 17 with the Falcons and one last year with the Raiders.
All five were drafted. Trask, a second-round pick in 2021, went the earliest. He was released by the Buccaneers in late August, and has not signed with any other roster or practice squad.
The Jets, who are off this weekend, have two quarterbacks on the roster: Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor. Brady Cook is on the practice squad. Taylor, who seemed to be in line to supplant Fields as the starter for Week 8, missed the win over the Bengals with a knee injury.
The Cardinals have three quarterbacks on the roster: Kyler Murray, Jacoby Brissett, and Kedon Slovis. Murray has missed the last two games with a foot injury. The Cardinals had a Week 8 bye.
The Cardinals will issue their first injury report in advance of Monday night’s game at Dallas on Thursday. Whether the Cardinals are thinking about adding an extra quarterback given the possibility that Murray will miss more time or whether they’re thinking about swapping out Slovis for another third-string option remains to be seen.
The Jets and Eagles are making a trade.
According to multiple reports the Jets will send cornerback Michael Carter to the Eagles for wide receiver John Metchie. The Eagles will also send a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Jets and they’ll get a 2027 seventh-rounder in return.
Carter has played 65 games for the Jets since being selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. He has seen most of his playing time in the slot and his arrival could lead to more playing time on the outside for Cooper DeJean over the rest of the season. He has 14 tackles so far this season.
Metchie was acquired from the Texans in an August trade and he had four catches for 18 yards in seven games with the Eagles. The 2022 second-round pick had 40 catches for 412 yards and a touchdown while with Houston.
As the criminal case against former NFL quarterback and current Fox broadcaster Mark Sanchez moves toward a December 11 trial date, the prosecution has produced various discovery materials to Sanchez’s lawyers.
Via Lauren Conlin of Los Angeles Magazine, the state’s production of evidence relevant to the case includes body-worn camera footage from at least 20 Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers, multiple dash-cam recordings, and photographs from the crime scene.
No mention was made of surveillance video containing images of the interactions between Sanchez and Perry Tole, the 69-year-old truck driver whom Sanchez allegedly assaulted.
Sanchez faces multiple charges, including felony battery. His potential sentence includes one to six years in prison.
All materials are subject to a protective order that prevents public disclosure without a court order. As the prosecution proceeds, much of the evidence will be disclosed in court — especially if the case goes to trial.
