Tommy

Rees

Stefanski ceded play-calling power to Rees down the stretch in Cleveland last year and they turned into a heavily screen-focused team with (holding back laugh) Pro Bowler Shedeur Sanders under center. We wouldn’t necessarily expect the same things next year in Atlanta since we don’t know who the quarterback will be just yet, but Rees did get a decent amount of offense out of what was a fairly weak core on paper last year.

Rees interviewed for the Browns’ vacant head coaching job but did not receive a second meeting with the team. His days in Cleveland were numbered after the team chose to go in a different direction at head coach. The good news for Rees is that his former boss, Kevin Stefanski, just so happened to be looking for an offensive coordinator for his new job as Atlanta’s head coach. As expected, Stefanski is bringing several Browns staffers with him to the Falcons. It’s unclear who will call plays for Atlanta in 2026. Stefanski initially called plays for the Browns but eventually handed those duties off to Rees late in the 2025 season. Neither play-caller found much success, though Cleveland’s abhorrent quarterback room played a major part in that failure.

Rees is still cutting his teeth as a coach and was always considered a long shot for the Browns’ head coaching vacancy. The 33-year-old joined the Browns in 2024 as a pass game specialist and tight ends coach and was promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2025 season. Now out as a candidate for the Browns’ job, it’s fair to assume his days as the team’s offensive coordinator could be numbered once a new head coach is locked in.

Schrager puts Monken at the top of the list. Earlier today, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Monken is “among the leading candidates” for the role. He should probably be considered the favorite. However, the four remaining candidates are Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka, Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, former Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury and Browns OC Tommy Rees.

Rees was hired as the Browns’ passing game specialist and TE coach in 2024. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in January 2025 and took over play-calling duties in Week 10. The “rookie-led unit” averaged just 4.6 yards per play, ranking 28th in the NFL, after that.

Schwartz has regularly churned out formidable defenses since being hired by the Browns in his current role in 2023. Elevating him to the head coach role makes sense if ownership wishes to double down on an old school brand of football. Browns OC Tommy Rees will also interview for the team’s head-coaching vacancy today.

Rees replaced Ken Dorsey as the Browns’ offensive coordinator this season. He also took on play-calling duties in the middle of the year, though it’s hard to say if anything has changed since he took over. Rees got his start in the college ranks and went on to serve as the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame and Alabama. While Penn State ultimately went in another direction, it wouldn’t be surprising to see other college programs make a run at Rees in the coming weeks.

It’s the second time in as many years that Stefanski has turned over the team’s offensive play-calling. Rees was promoted from pass game specialist to offensive coordinator this offseason and also served as offensive coordinator for Notre Dame (2020-2022) and Alabama (2023). Rees will look to improve an offense that currently ranks 30th in scoring and 31st in yards. It’s also looked far more conservative under QB Dillon Gabriel than it did under Joe Flacco, who wasn’t shy about airing it out in his four starts this season. Rees will get his first crack at play-calling in Week 10 when the Browns take on the one-win Jets.

The fact that Rees got the first interview was pretty telling about the direction that this search was going. Cleveland also interviewed Falcons tight end coach Kevin Koger, Seahawks quarterbacks coach Charles London, Saints OC Klint Kubiak, and Dolphins QB coach Darrell Bevell for the position. Rees, a former Notre Dame quarterback, coordinated their offense from 2020-2022 and the Alabama offense under Nick Saban in 2023 before taking a position with the Browns as their tight ends coach and passing game coordinator. Rees won’t call plays — that is Kevin Stefanski’s job — but this is still a big promotion for a 32-year-old and one that marks him as a potential NFL head coach at some point.

This was actually the first interview of their process. The former Fighting Irish quarterback was Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator from 2020-2022, and coordinated the Alabama offense under Nick Saban in 2023. It would seem like Rees is one of the favorites to get the role, though the Browns have three other candidates in the mix at this moment.