The suspected favorite has received the promotion.

The Cleveland Browns have reportedly promoted tight ends coach Tommy Rees to offensive coordinator as first reported by NFL Network on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old has been a rising star in the coaching ranks after spending years in the collegiate ranks as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks’ coach. Now he gets his opportunity in the pros as the right-hand man for Kevin Stefanski on the offensive side.

Rees has been the presumptive favorite since the job opened on January 5 when the Browns fired Ken Dorsey after a failed 2024 season that saw Cleveland average just 15.2 points per game which was dead last in the NFL. It’s been reported that Stefanski will be reverting back to his offensive scheme and philosophies that helped earned him NFL Coach of the Year on two occasions and to two playoff appearances in his five seasons as head coach of the Browns.

Cleveland interviewed several candidates including Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak on Monday, who was scheduled to interview with Seattle for the same position on Tuesday.

It’s unclear whether or not Rees will call the plays, but he has an experience of doing it at least at the collegiate level during his stints with Notre Dame (2020-22) and Alabama (2023). In each of those seasons, his offenses averaged at least 31 points per game with 2021 being his highest scoring season as an offensive coordinator (35.2 points per game).

Rees also played quarterback for the Fighting Irish in college starting in 30 games, throwing for 7,351 yards, 61 touchdowns to 37 interceptions in his four years at Notre Dame. He went undrafted in 2014 before entering coaching.

2025 will be a big test for both Rees as well as Stefanski as there’s major questions to be answered with the offense especially at the quarterback position.

It’s widely expected that the Browns will draft a quarterback with the second overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, but the rest of the room is a question mark with Deshaun Watson expected to miss the entire season due to the re-rupture of his Achilles tendon. Jameis Winston and Bailey Zappe are expected to be free agents and Dorian Thompson-Robinson hasn’t shown promise as a potential backup or bridge quarterback.

The first step to fixing the Browns offense has been completed, now it’s time to fix the quarterback position.