‘Hiring Tommy Rees Would Benefit Shedeur Sanders the Most’: Browns Insider

With Kevin Stefanskigetting the boot from the Cleveland Browns this week, one might have thought that would be good news for Shedeur Sanders’ future with the franchise. But not so fast.

Rumors suggested that Dillon Gabriel was Stefanski’s guy, and that he and Sanders didn’t get along particularly well. But even after Stefanski’s departure, general manager Andrew Berry isn’t committing to Shedeur. Berry said the team would “do their work on the QB market” this offseason. He also declined to say whether the starter would come from in-house or elsewhere.

Berry added that the new head coach will have significant input on the quarterback decision, which only raises the stakes of finding the right hire. Longtime Cleveland insider Mary Kay Cabot believes the best head-coaching candidate for Sanders, the in-house QB option, is also an in-house HC candidate: current offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who interviewed for the vacancy this week.

“The important part with Tommy is the fact that he has more intimate knowledge about Shedeur Sanders than any of these other candidates,” explained Cabot during her appearance on 92.3 The Fan.

“He can tell you exactly what you need to know. Can he be your guy? Or is he not your guy? So that’s the conversation that will have to be had today… He’s got that inside intel on Shedeur,” she added.

Cabot stressed that the Browns are not just giving their 33-year-old OC an interview for the top job to placate him. She characterized them as “legitimate interviews.”

While there are certainly more than a few intriguing options outside of Cleveland, Cabot also talked about the other in-house head coaching option for the Browns: highly-touted defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

“We’ve heard so many people in the organization already extolling the virtues of Jim Schwartz, and talking him up… Everyone seems to be touting Jim Schwartz for the job, I know he really wants the interview,” she said.

Schwartz has been one of the best defensive coordinators in the league since joining Cleveland in 2023. However, his previous head-coaching stint in Detroit was less successful, as he went 25-51 over five seasons from 2009 to 2013.

Cabot revealed that there might be something of a Sophie’s Choice brewing for team brass here as well. It seems both coordinators are pushing hard to become Stefanski’s successor in Northeastern Ohio.

“The key here is how are you gonna put the puzzle pieces together,” Cabot said. “If you wanna keep Tommy Rees in the building, you might have to do it one way, if you wanna make sure you keep Jim Schwartz in the building, you might have to do it another way. So, I think that’s part of it.”

Whatever you think of the merits of either Schwartz or Rees, there’s no debate on this: the guy who served as offensive coordinator for Shedeur Sanders’ rookie season would have the most positive impact on the young QB if he became head coach.