GREAT ADDITION: Browns announce three additions to the coaching staff

The three position coaches that the Browns have added to their coaching staff have been formally announced. They hire Jacques Cesaire to coach the defensive line, Duce Staley to train the running backs, and Tommy Rees to coach tight ends and pass games.

Let’s examine each of the three coaches individually.

Tommy Rees
Rees, a former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for Alabama, joins the Browns as a tight ends/pass game specialist.

“Tommy has established himself as one of the top assistant coaches in college football, and I have no doubt that will transition to the NFL,” Kevin Stefanski, the head coach, stated. “He has an incredible football acumen, and I look forward to bringing his insight and unique perspective from top college programs to our offence.”

Rees worked as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for one season in 2023. Rees led Alabama to a 12-2 record in his one and only season there. The team also advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals, where they were defeated by Michigan, the ultimate national winner, and won the SEC Championship Game.

Prior to this, he worked for Notre Dame for six seasons. From 2017 to 2019, he was the quarterbacks coach. From 2020 to 2022, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. After he took over as Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator for three seasons, the squad averaged over thirty points per game and, in 2020, made it to the College Football Playoffs following an undefeated regular season.

Rees joined Northwestern as a graduate assistant in 2015 before starting his coaching career. After that, he worked as an offensive assistant with the San Diego Chargers for a season in 2016. After four seasons at Notre Dame, where he finished third with 7,351 throwing yards and second in school history with 61 touchdown passes, he called it quits on his collegiate career.

Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku, who led the Browns in 2023 with 81 receptions and six touchdown catches, moves into Rees’ room. Njoku had accrued 882 receiving yards by the end of the season.

Duce Staley
In 2023, Staley, who was the running backs coach for the Panthers, will assume a similar position as the new running backs coach for the Browns.

“Duce was a tough, hard-nosed running back in this league and brings the mindset and energy to his coaching style that are needed in the running backs room,” Stefanski stated. “Having worked with some of the best running backs in the NFL, he knows how to get the most out of his players.”Having him in charge of our running backs excites us.”

Staley brings 25 years of experience to the table as an NFL coach and player, having won a Super Bowl in each of his last two stints. He spent his first two seasons as the special teams quality control coach with the Eagles in 2010 before starting his NFL coaching career. After that, he was appointed running backs coach from 2013 to 2020. From 2018 to 20, he also held the position of assistant head coach.

With 132.2 running yards per game in 2017, he contributed to the Eagles’ third-place finish in the league and their Super Bowl LII victory. Additionally, Staley assisted LeSean McCoy, a running back, in being selected to five Pro Bowls (2013–17) and the first team All-Pro in 2013. With 2,146 scrimmage yards and 1,607 running yards in 2013, McCoy led the NFL in both categories.

After that, Staley worked as the running backs coach and assistant head coach at Detroit for two seasons (2021–2022). With 17 running touchdowns in 2022, RB Jamaal Williams led the NFL and established a team record for the Lions under his leadership.

After being selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft, he began his playing career with the Eagles as well. From 1997 to 2003, he played with the Eagles for seven seasons. From 2004 to 2006, he concluded his playing career with the Steelers, where he won Super Bowl XL. In 114 career games, Staley gained 5,785 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground from 1,430 rushes. He also added 287 career receptions for 2,587 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Due to a season-ending knee injury suffered by top running back Nick Chubb in Week 2, the Browns’ run game was never as strong as it was in 2023. They ran the ball with the trio of Pierre Strong Jr., Jerome Ford, and Kareem Hunt, and they ended the season ranked 12th in the NFL. While Hunt amassed 411 rushing yards and a team-high nine rushing scores, Ford led the Browns with 813 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Strong ended with one touchdown and 291 running yards.