Browns determined to retain offensive assistant for 2026 season

With reports of Rees' potential interest in the college coaching scene, Cleveland will do what they can to keep him around.

Cleveland Browns pass game specialist and tight ends coach Tommy Rees addresses media June 13 during mandatory minicamp at team headquarters in Berea, Ohio. | Nate Ulrich / USA TODAY NETWORK

After this past week's thrill of the coaching carousel in the college football realm, the Browns were reportedly on the verge of losing one of their top assistant coaches to the Penn State Nittany Lions.

That scenario was ultimately put to rest on Friday, as Penn State decided on hiring former Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell. This meant that Cleveland’s offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, wouldn’t be leaving for one of college’s most intriguing coaching vacancies, for now.

According to Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns do not want to let Rees out of the building in Berea, and the belief is that Rees’ preference is to stay put on Cleveland’s coaching staff in the future.

The #Browns will make every effort to keep OC Tommy Rees, who interviewed for the Penn State job that went to Matt Campbell, source tells me. The Browns don't want to let Rees out of the building, and his preference is to stay: ---> https://t.co/GQSy1C00cM

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) December 7, 2025

Rees was given the play-calling duties halfway through the 2025 season from Head Coach Kevin Stefanski to “get the offense on track”, after the Browns decided to roll out another rookie quarterback, this time being Shedeur Sanders. 

Under Tommy Rees, Cleveland’s offense has been able to score a slight bit more than they had been under Stefanski. At one point, the Browns had scored 17 or fewer points in 10 straight games dating back to the 2024 season, which was tied for the longest streak in franchise history, according to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi.

When comparing the Browns offense between both Stefanski and Rees, neither have been able to get Cleveland’s offense to necessarily excite, but occasional strides has given both coaches a glimpse into what they’re looking to achieve with this roster to close out the 2025 season into 2026.

The Browns have had quite a disappointing season, finishing under .500 for a second consecutive season and showing little to no signs of improvement aside from Myles Garrett’s continuous stride toward the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

With an almost guaranteed top five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Browns will look to acquire some much-needed help on offense, which could give Tommy Rees more inclination to want to stick around in Cleveland if they plan to draft around Shedeur Sanders.

With a young offensive roster this season, and with the success that was the 2025 draft class for the Browns, there’s plenty of promise if Cleveland drafts correctly. After Sanders’ 350+ passing yards and four touchdowns in their loss to the Titans, Cleveland should position themselves to take on the 2026 season with Tommy Rees calling the plays, Shedeur Sanders under center, and a much more improved offensive line and wide receiver room if they want to compete in 2026.

Cleveland will look to bounce back next Sunday in Chicago as they take on the fiery Chicago Bears at Soldier Field with kickoff slated for 1:00 p.m.