First-time offensive coordinator Tommy Rees will call plays after Kevin Stefanski gave it up for the second year in a row.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
“So, Kev, after a full week of self-scouting, what have you come up with to improve the offense?”
“I’m giving up play-calling.”
“Didn’t you try that last year?”
“Got any better ideas?”
Apparently not. So here we go again.
For the second year in a row, Kevin Stefanski is giving up calling plays. He is the only active head coach to do it two years in a row.
Last year, Stefanski handed off the play-calling role to Ken Dorsey after his offense averaged 15.5 points a game during a 1-6 start to the 2024 season. The offense proceeded to average 14.9 points a game under Dorsey and went 2-8 to finish with a 3-14 record.
Now, Stefanski is handing the reins to first-year coordinator Tommy Rees after the Browns averaged 15.8 points a game through eight games and a 2-6 record.
The Browns are last in points (126), last in yards per play (4.1), 31st in first downs (134), 31st in passing yards (1,392), last in yards per pass attempt (4.3) and 30th in rushing yards per attempt (3.8).
“Certainly, the bye week gives you an opportunity to look at everything and bottom line is we have to be better. We have to be better in a lot of facets on the offensive side, and I just felt like Tommy is somebody that I believe in,” Stefanski said.
“Obviously [I] hired him here a couple years back because I really believe in Tommy as a coach, and he’s done everything that we’ve asked, and I just feel like this is the right time for this.”
Stefanski said similar things about Dorsey last year, and the results did not justify the switch.
“I’m just trying to do whatever I think is best for our football team in this case,” Stefanski said, “but I’m really focused on this year.”
The circumstances behind these annual changes are different.
Last year, the offense was reconfigured to accommodate Deshaun Watson. Dorsey’s experience with a shotgun spread offense featuring a mobile quarterback was the reason for hiring him. But when Stefanski installed Dorsey as play-caller, it coincided with Jameis Winston taking over as quarterback and Watson out with an Achilles injury. Winston was better-suited to run the Stefanski play-action offense, but Dorsey called the plays, anyways.
Winston gave the Browns an initial spike in offense. He passed for 321 yards, 377 and 475 yards in his first five starts. But over the last four games, the Browns scored 7, 6, 3 and 10 points using Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe at quarterback.
This year, Rees takes over with rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders as QB1 and QB2 after GM Andrew Berry gift-wrapped Joe Flacco in a trade to the Bengals.
The Browns are the only team trying to win with rookies at QB1 and QB2. Gabriel has struggled in four starts, winning one, and overseeing an offense that has scored 63 points. The Browns also scored a defensive touchdown in that span.
Stefanski said that Gabriel remains the starting quarterback for the Jets game in New Jersey on Sunday.
Sanders is expected to return to QB2 after missing the Patriots game before the bye with a back injury that was occurred at the Friday practice before the game. Sanders missed Monday’s first practice after the bye because of the back injury, Stefanski said.
The only other personnel change is expected to be the return of wide receiver Cedric Tillman after missing four games with a hamstring injury.
Jerry’s world
If anyone can be encouraged about the play-calling change, it should be receiver Jerry Jeudy.
Jeudy suffered a year ago with Stefanski calling plays. In the first seven games, Jeudy had 21 receptions for 266 yards and one touchdown. In the 10 games with Dorsey calling plays, Jeudy had 69 receptions for 963 yards and three touchdowns.
This year in eight games with Stefanski calling plays, Jeudy has 21 receptions for 257 yards and no touchdowns.
So Jeudy’s 14-game totals with Stefanski as play-caller are 42 catches for 523 yards and one TD – much less than the 10-game totals with someone else calling the plays.
“Hopefully the same thing happens again,” Jeudy said about the change in play-callers.
Does he think it will make a difference to the offense?
“I don’t know. We’re going to see on Sunday,” he said.
Cedric the wide receiver
Tillman, the Browns’ biggest receiver at 6-3 and 215 pounds, said he feels good and is “ready to go.” He practiced on Monday and will be restored to the active roster by the end of the week, if all goes well.
Through the first four games of the season – with Flacco at quarterback – Tillman had 11 receptions on 20 targets for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite missing four games, Tillman still ranks second among wideouts in receptions (tied with Isaiah Bond) behind Jeudy’s 22.
Tillman termed it “definitely frustrating” having to watch the receivers suffer while he was out. “But I know all the ball-catchers are frustrated,” he said.
Tillman now has missed 13 games in his three seasons due to injuries (concussion, ankle, concussion and hamstring).
“It’s a business,” Tillman said of his injuries, with a shrug. “'So what, now what?' Something that someone told me a while ago. Obviously, I didn’t want the injury to happen. I’m not gonna sit and pout about it. I’m gonna try to get better so I can get on the field.
“It’s tough watching. I want to help the team out. But I’m back now and I’m gonna do everything I can to stay healthy for this team and organization and give it my all.”
Brownie bits
Besides Sanders (back), others who missed practice were linebacker Carson Schwesinger (ankle) and receiver Isaiah Bond (undisclosed injury) …
Cornerback Tyson Campbell (concussion) returned to practice and is on track to play if he passes protocol through the week …
Safety Damontae Kazee was released ...
Quarterback Deshaun Watson (Achilles surgeries) has not been cleared to practice yet, but that could happen next week. At that time, the Browns would have three weeks to decide Watson’s roster status. Either he would be activated or inactive for the remainder of the season.