What Tommy Rees Following Kevin Stefanski to Falcons Means for Browns

The Cleveland Browns lose out on another potential head coaching candidate; one they are quite familiar with.

On Wednesday afternoon, Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees decided to leave Cleveland for Atlanta to rejoin former head coach Kevin Stefanski’s staff with the Falcons. Rees now ultimately removes himself from the list of head coach candidates who had interviewed with the Browns, shortly after Mike McDaniel removed himself as a potential candidate for their next head coach.

The news was announced on social media by NFL Insider Ian Rapoport shortly after Rees made his decision.

The #Falcons are expected to hire former #Browns OC Tommy Rees as the new OC for coach Kevin Stefanski, sources say.

The favorite all along, Rees now lands in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/06VrkKGxGJ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 21, 2026

While the Browns had hoped they would retain Rees on their coaching staff to some degree, Mary Kay Cabot with Cleveland.com had also reported that Rees was likely to join Kevin Stefanski’s staff wherever Stefanski found himself as head coach. Now, that rumor has become a reality.

Rees, who served as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator for the 2025 regular season, spent two seasons with the Browns. Rees began his tenure as a tight end's coach/pass game specialist during the 2024 regular season.

What Rees' departure means

The Browns really liked Tommy Rees as a part of their coaching staff, enough to have considered him as a potential head coach candidate as their search for the next continues. Rees had his interview for their head coaching vacancy but never made it to the second round of interviews.

The original interest Cleveland had in Rees came as a result of his success at the college level with the Alabama Crimson Tide as their offensive coordinator. The acquisition of Rees was seen as a promising one, as he helped Alabama find their offensive identity in 2023 under their legendary Head Coach Nick Saban.

During the 2025 season, Rees’ offense, which ran primarily through Kevin Stefanski, ranked near the bottom in almost all offensive categories. The Browns offense finished the season ranked 31st in EPA per play among NFL offenses, meaning they were one of the league's least efficient offensive units.

Cleveland also ranked 30th in the league in total yards per game, 31st in passing yards per game, 27th in rushing yards per game, as well as 31st in total points per game. Their passer rating ranked as the league's worst but can be backed by the inconsistency at quarterback for the Browns in both 2024 and 2025. Ultimately, the Browns finished with a 5-12 record overall, which resulted in the firing of Kevin Stefanski.

The Browns are supposedly nearing a final cast of candidates to interview for their head coaching vacancy, which could be announced in the coming weeks as to who they will hire in for the 2026 season. With Rees joining the Atlanta Falcons, it’s now official that Cleveland will also be in the market for a new offensive coordinator, one that could potentially be brought in under their new head coach.