Cleveland Browns fans were hyped up at Sunday's season opener between the Browns and Tennessee Titans at First Energy Stadium, September 8, 2019. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
Browns announce three appointments to the coaching staff.
Tommy Rees, Duce Staley, and Jacques Cesaire join the Cleveland coaching staff.
The Browns formally announced the addition of three position coaches to their coaching staff. They hire Tommy Rees as the new tight ends/pass game specialist, Duce Staley as the running backs coach, and Jacques Cesaire as the defensive line coach.
Let’s look at each of the three coaches.
Tommy Rees
Rees, the former Alabama offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, will join 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 team’s 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 offense.”
Rees spent one season as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2023. In his one season at Alabama, Rees helped coach the Crimson Tide to a 12-2 record, including a win in the SEC Championship Game and a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals, where they lost to eventual national champion Michigan.
He previously spent six seasons on Notre Dame’s coaching staff, first as quarterbacks coach from 2017 to 2019, and then as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2020 to 2022. In three years as Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator, the team averaged more than 30 points per game and progressed to the College Football Playoff in 2020 after finishing undefeated in the regular season.
Rees started his coaching career in 2015 as a graduate assistant at Northwestern. In 2016, he spent a season as an offensive assistant for the San Diego Chargers. He graduated from Notre Dame after four seasons, finishing second in school history with 61 touchdown passes and third with 7,351 throwing yards.
Rees inherits a tight ends group that includes Pro Bowler David Njoku, who led the Browns with 81 receptions and six touchdown catches in 2023. Njoku concluded the season with 882 receiving yards.
Duce Staley
During the 2023 season, Staley will serve in a similar capacity as the Browns’ new running backs coach.
“Duce was a tough, hard-nosed running back in this league and brings the mind-set and energy to his coaching style that is needed in the running backs room,” Stefanski said. “He knows how to get the most out of his players and has worked with some of the best running backs in the NFL. We are excited to have him leading our running backs.”
Staley has 25 years of NFL experience, having won a Super Bowl as both a player and a coach. He began his NFL coaching career with the Eagles in 2010, serving as the special teams quality control coach for two seasons. He then became the running backs coach from 2013 to 2020, and from 2018 to 20, he was also the assistant head coach.
In 2017, he helped the Eagles finish third in the league with 132.2 running yards per game and win Super Bowl LII. Staley also helped RB LeSean McCoy gain first-team All-Pro accolades in 2013 and five Pro Bowl selections from 2013 to 2017. In 2013, McCoy led the NFL in rushing yards (1,607) and scrimmage yards (2,146).
From 2021 to 2022, Staley served as the assistant head coach and running backs coach in Detroit. Under his guidance, RB Jamaal Williams led the NFL and set a Lions franchise record with 17 running touchdowns in 2022.
His NFL career likewise began with the Eagles, who chose him in the third round in 1997. He played seven seasons with the Eagles from 1997 to 2003 before finishing his career with the Steelers from 2004 to 2006, winning Super Bowl XL with Pittsburgh. Staley appeared in 114 career games and accumulated 5,785 running yards on 1,430 rushes with 24 rushing touchdowns, in addition to 287 career receptions for 2,587 yards and 10 touchdowns.
After losing star running back Nick Chubb to a season-ending knee injury in Week 2, the Browns’ run game struggled throughout the 2023 season. They finished the season 12th in the NFL, relying on the trio of Kareem Hunt, Jerome Ford, and Pierre Strong Jr. to run the ball. Ford led the Browns with 813 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while Hunt ran for 411 rushing yards and a team-high nine rushing touchdowns, and Strong finished with 291 rushing yards and one touchdown.
