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 told ESPN. “He understands how to get the most out of his players, having worked with some of the top running backs in the NFL. We’re pleased to have him lead 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 coaching, 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.
The Browns’ rushing game struggled throughout the 2023 season after losing standout running back Nick Chubb in Week 2 to a season-ending knee injury. They ran the ball with Kareem Hunt, Jerome Ford, and Pierre Strong Jr., and ended 12th in the NFL. Ford led the Browns with 813 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while Hunt had 411 yards and a team-high nine rushing scores. Strong finished with 291 running yards and a score.
Jacques Césaire
Defensively, the Browns made one coaching change, hiring Cesaire as defensive line coach. He coached the Texans’ defensive line for two seasons.
“Jacques brings energy and a proven track record as both a player and coach in this league,” stated Stefanski. “He has made his impact felt in every place he has been, and we know he will come in and work to increase an already high standard for our defensive line.”
He began his coaching career as the defensive line coach at the University of San Diego from 2015 to 2019. Cesaire coached DL Jonathan Petersen from 2015 to 2017, who established a Football Championship Subdivision record with 44.0 career sacks.
Cesaire then joined the NFL as the Bills’ assistant defensive line coach from 2020 to 2021. In his first season with Buffalo in 2020, the Bills placed sixth in the NFL with an 80.5 pass rushing grade, according to Pro Football Focus. Then, in 2021, Cesaire helped coach a team that led the NFL in both overall defense (272.8 yards per game) and scoring defense (17.0 points per contest).
He was then signed by the Texans to coach their defensive line in 2022 and 2023. Cesaire’s defensive line in his debut season with the Texans consisted of a mix of veterans and inexperienced players. The defense had 11 multi-sack games that season, with DE Jerry Hughes leading the Texans with 9.0 sacks. Then in 2023, the Texans finished sixth in run defense, giving only 96.6 yards per game.
He also helped develop 2023 NFL third-round pick DE Will Anderson, who was named the PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson set a Texans rookie record of seven sacks and was selected to the Pro Bowl.
Cesaire also played nine seasons as a defensive end with the San Diego Chargers. He appeared in 125 games, making 66 starts, and recorded 275 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 27 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
The Browns defensive line, led by DE Myles Garrett, was a key component of one of the NFL’s finest defenses in 2023. Garrett led the club with 14 sacks this season and finished with four forced fumbles, 42 tackles (33 solo), 17 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hits, and three passes defended in 2023.
