My takeaways from what to expect from Tommy Rees and the ‘new’ Browns offense

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Takeaways from Tommy Rees introductory press conference …

1. Kevin Stefanski ended the suspense in his introductory remarks. “As far as play calling, which I know you guys are going to ask, I’m going to call plays, and I reserve the right to change my mind, okay?” Stefanski said. Thank you, coach, for not delaying the inevitable. On the surface, this confirms two things. 1. The offense will be similar to what Stefanski ran in 2023, which was fine and shouldn’t have been changed. 2. Rees may add some wrinkles, but to expect him to be more than an apprentice in his first season as NFL coordinator is a little unrealistic. I’m sure he’ll grow fast into the job, but the success of the offense will depend on the new quarterback(s) and Stefanski more than anything else.

2. That is not to say Rees won’t be an integral part of turning things around offensively. He’s been around good coaches at both levels – Mike McCoy, Ken Whisenhunt, Nick Sirianni and Shane Steichen at San Diego in 2016; Brian Kelly at Notre Dame; Nick Saban at Alabama. He is a legit up-and-comer as an NFL coordinator.

3. Rees would not elaborate on the role he would play in evaluating the quarterback draft class, other than to say, “I’m really excited to get to evaluating that and see what’s out there.” He declined to say if he will attend the Senior Bowl practices next week (he and Stefanski should!). Pressed a second time about attending the Senior Bowl, he said, “That’s up to the staff to decide how we want to delegate some of that. Obviously, the draft process is ongoing and it’s a long process, so we’ll have plenty of opportunities to be around these players.”

4. I thought Rees’ best answer in the 20 minute Q&A came when asked what is the most important trait to see in a quarterback. “At the end of the day, the quarterback’s job is to solve problems,” he said. “You’re going to be tasked 60, 70, 80 times a game to make a decision in a critical moment. And so, I’ve always started with the ability to make quick decisions and make the right decision. So, if you said one thing over the other, I want a decision maker at that position.” That’s the right answer.

5. Which brought to my mind the amazing job Washington rookie Jayden Daniels has done in processing defenses and making quick, right decisions this year. He’s been uncanny in that regard and one of the reasons for that, reportedly, was his use of Virtual Reality technology in training his mind at 1 ¾ speed to react faster to what he sees. I asked Rees his feelings on using VR to accelerate the mental process of a young quarterback. “We do have VR as part of the things that are available to our players,” he said. “Every individual is different on how well they take to those things. Obviously, Jayden’s talked about it from his time at LSU even. So, I’m very familiar with that. I’ve used it with quarterbacks [at Notre Dame and Alabama] in the past. We do have the ability to use that. Again, some of that is on individual basis on how they learn. But part of our job as coaches is to be able to reach a lot of different players that learn a lot of different ways. So, if VR is a tool that helps us maximize our players ability, then that’s one that we’ll have at our disposal.”

6. It is unavoidable now to link the Browns with Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. It doesn’t mean he’s at the top of GM Andrew Berry’s QB list, but I do believe Rees’ familiarity with Milroe contributed to the decision to promote him. Rees chose his words carefully when asked about Milroe, no doubt heeding instructions from Berry. For the record, he said of Milroe, “As a person, I have a lot of love for Jalen, a lot of respect for Jalen. Obviously, we went through an entire season together and when you’re the play caller and the quarterback, there’s a great relationship there. But I’m really not going to expand much on anybody in the draft right now. Just know that I have a lot of love for Jalen as the man he is and wish him all the best.”

7. Stefanski’s most success as an offensive coach has come with a traditional pocket passer working mostly from under center – rather than with the state-of-the-art, dual-threat runners out of the shotgun. Rees made it clear, however, that he and Stefanski will not rule out adapting the system to a more athletic quarterback. (Milroe threw for 16 touchdowns last season at Alabama and ran for 20!) “You need to have a system that is diverse enough to be able to be flexible based on your personnel,” Rees said, echoing previous sentiments expressed by Stefanski. “You don’t want to pigeonhole what you can and can’t do based on your system. You want to be flexible to [be able to say], ‘Let’s go find the best quarterback we can and let’s make sure that he’s comfortable in the system.’”

8. Rees’ promotion leaves two openings on Stefanski’s offensive staff – a quarterbacks coach and a tight ends coach. Stefanski wouldn’t take questions after his opening remarks to answer how he’ll fill those roles, and Rees declined to say when asked. In Stefanski’s five seasons as Browns coach, he never had a singular quarterbacks coach. Both of his offensive coordinators – Alex Van Pelt and Ken Dorsey – doubled as the QB coach. I think the time is right to hire a coach dedicated exclusively to working with the quarterbacks. I’ve heard quarterbacks and coaches in over 40 years covering the NFL say that the least-coached position in the NFL is quarterback.