Browns land a surprising new coach

Last week, the Cleveland Browns made it clear they wanted to shake things up on offense. They let go of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt as well as running backs coach Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney. Since then, they've been taking their time trying to figure out their next move.

Cleveland has kicked the tires on Duce Staley as a potential running backs coach but there's some stiff competition there. The same can be said of Jerrod Johnson, who is on their radar as a potential offensive coordinator. As for the tight ends coach, they now have their guy and it's someone none of us saw coming.

Tommy Rees, who was the Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator in 2023 is the coach they were able to land. At just 31 years of age, Rees is an up-and-coming coach who would also help in the overall passing game according to Zac Jackson.

Rees was a quarterback at Notre Dame and played one year in the NFL for Washington. He's since been working his way through the coaching ranks and served as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at both Notre Dame (2020-2022) and Alabama (2023).

Browns looking to get more creative through the air

Adding Rees gives them someone with a fresh perspective — and he can bring in some of the same concepts we've seen work for Alabama. Should they be able to land an offensive coordinator, such as Jerrod Johnson, who also has experience as a quarterback, it could really help them take the offense to the next level.

As good as the Browns were in 2023, there were times the offense fell flat — and there were times the pass catchers couldn't fight their way open. Moving on from the previous staff wasn't a major indictment on them as much as it was a chance to shake things up and get more creative.

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