Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski made official what most suspected after hiring new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees: The head coach will return to play-calling.
"I'm going to call plays, and I reserve the right to change my mind," Stefanski said Thursday.
The announcement comes as no surprise. Stefanski handed off play-calling to Ken Dorsey in 2024, but after the offense struggled and the Browns fired the OC, the assumption was that the head coach would return to that role in 2025. The hiring of Rees, with no NFL play-calling experience, doubled down on the expectation.
For his part, Rees isn't worried about not calling plays.
"I'm looking forward to being a part of the process and having an opportunity to lead the offensive staff and lead the offense," Rees said. "Look, there's so much work that gets done on the front end of things. Play-calling is just part of the process. We're excited to get to work together and making sure that we have a good product on the field."
Stefanski returns to a facet of the game that helped him earn two AP Coach of the Year awards. He hopes to jump-start an offense that struggled to sustain drives in 2024. Cleveland finished 32 in points and 28th in yards with Dorsey calling plays. The issues were multifaceted, from the ineffective quarterback play to a woeful ground game to inconsistent blocking to missing explosives. It was all bad for the Browns in 2024. Cleveland finished No. 1 in pass attempts but 22nd in passing yards and 28th in passing TDs. That's not a recipe for much success. In the previous four seasons under Stefanski, the Browns had finished in the top 10 in rush attempts every year. In 2024, they ranked 28.
Stefanski returning to play-calling should help balance some of the shortcomings, but Cleveland must also get the personnel to match, starting with the QB position.
