The 32-year-old Rees served as the Browns’ tight ends coach in 2024.
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have reportedly decided to stay in-house in hiring their next offensive coordinator, handing the job over to tight ends coach/passing game specialist Tommy Rees.
As first reported by the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Rees has been tapped to replace Ken Dorsey, who was fired after just one season as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator.
The 32-year-old Rees will become one of the youngest coordinators in the National Football League. He joined the Browns in 2024 after spending his coaching career in the college ranks at Alabama and Notre Dame.
In 2023, Rees served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach as the Crimson Tide went on to win the SEC Championship Game and advance to the College Football Playoff.
From 2017-22, Rees coached at his alma mater of Notre Dame. He spent his first three years with the Fighting Irish as quarterbacks coach, adding the role of offensive coordinator in 2020. The Browns noted that in Rees’ three years as Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator, the Irish averaged more than 30 points per game each year. Notre Dame advanced to the College Football Playoff in 2020 after posting an undefeated regular season.
The Browns reportedly also interviewed Miami QB coach Darrell Bevell, Seattle QB coach Charles London, Atlanta TE coach Kevin Koger, and former New Orleans offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who had served alongside current Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski when the pair worked for the Minnesota Vikings in 2019.
Dorsey was brought in as Browns offensive coordinator one year ago after the bizarre firing of previous OC Alex Van Pelt, who had helped shepherd a Joe Flacco-led Cleveland offense into the playoffs in 2023. But under Dorsey, the Browns offense plummeted in 2024. Quarterback Deshaun Watson’s play was horrendous before his season ended with an Achilles injury and Cleveland plugged in three different replacements over the course of the rest of the season. Stefanski ceded play-calling duties to Dorsey in October after Watson went down.
Overall, the Browns offense in 2024 was the worst in the NFL in multiple statistical categories including turnover margin, third down percentage and points per game.
3News’ Justin McMullen contributed to this report