When Tommy Rees called the plays for the Alabama offense in the 2023 season, the Crimson Tide averaged 34.0 points and 393.1 yards per game.
That would be a big improvement for the Cleveland Browns if Rees could duplicate that output across the NFL team’s final nine games of the 2025 season.
On Monday, Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski announced he had turned over the play-calling duty for the Browns offense to Rees, who is the team’s offensive coordinator.
“I’m going to have Tommy call the plays on offense,” Stefanski said. “These are things that I’m always looking at: What can we do better? 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 coaches. So that’s our charge, and that’s what we’re working hard to do.”
Among the NFL’s 32 teams in 2025, Cleveland’s average of 15.8 points per game ranks 30th and 263.5 yards per game ranks 31st.
“Tommy’s going to be him himself,” Stefanski said, “and that’s what I’m asking him to do, and 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. …
“I think the bigger picture for us is, as we looked at this week: What do we feel like we can do well? What are things that we need to lean into? What are the things that we haven’t been very good at? And we need to move on from those areas. And there’s plenty of football, there’s plenty of plays. We just got to make sure that we’re leaning into the stuff that best fits our players.”
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In 2023, Alabama won the SEC championship, posted a 12-2 record and played in the College Football Playoff. In 2025, the Browns have a 2-6 record.
Coming off its open date, Cleveland has not played since a 32-13 loss to New England Patriots on Oct. 26.
“Certainly, the bye week gives you an opportunity to look at everything,” Stefanski said, “and bottom line is we have to be better. We have to be better in a lot of facets on the offensive side, and I just felt like Tommy is somebody that I believe in. Obviously, hired him here a couple years back because I really believe in Tommy as a coach, and he’s done everything that we’ve asked, and I just feel like this is the right time for this.”
Stefanski has called Cleveland’s offensive plays since leaving his post as the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive coordinator to become the Browns’ head coach in 2020 – except for the final 10 games of the 2024 season. Stefanski also gave up the playing-calling chores to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey last season, but the Browns still scored the fewest points in the NFL in 2024.
Rees had not been retained by new coach Kalen DeBoer after Nick Saban retired at Alabama, and he served as the Cleveland tight-ends coach in 2024.
Rees will get his first NFL play-calling opportunity when the Browns play the New York Jets at noon CST Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
The Jets also are coming off their bye week and their only victory of the season – 39-38 over the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 26.
“It’s important that we focus on what’s in front of us,” Stefanski said, “and have a great opportunity this week going to New York and trying to play our best football. We have not played our best football, and that’s haven’t done it as players, as coaches, offense, defense, special teams. We feel like there’s more for us to give, and that’s where we’re focused on right now.”
Stefanski said Dillon Gabriel would remain Cleveland’s starting quarterback. The third-round rookie has started the past four games for the Browns.
Joe Flacco started the first four games of the 2025 season for Cleveland before the Browns traded him to the Cincinnati Bengals.
In four games with Cleveland, Flacco completed 93-of-160 passes for 815 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions. In four games with Cincinnati, Flacco has completed 112-of-173 passes for 1,254 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Each team had a 1-3 record in those games.
Gabriel has completed 85-of-142 passes for 702 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions in 2025.
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