Browns
The Browns officially announced Tommy Rees as their next offensive coordinator, promoting him from tight ends coach/passing game specialist under HC Kevin Stefanski.
“Tommy has an incredible football mind,” Stefanski said, via the team website. “He is extremely bright and has been around the game his entire life. Before joining our staff, he established himself as one of the top assistant coaches in college football. Last season, he transitioned into our tight end room and with our pass game, and he didn’t miss a beat. Due to injuries, there was a lot of uncertainty at tight end, but Tommy did a phenomenal job with that group and always had his players ready for gameday, despite, in some cases, only being with the team for a short period of time.”
“Innovation is such a critical element to the offensive game-planning process and Tommy brings that,” Stefanski added. “Our intent is to build a sound and explosive offense that will put points on the board and I’m looking forward to working with Tommy to re-shape the Browns offense in 2025.”
Rees had previously helped coach Alabama to a 12-2 season and looks back fondly on his time there despite it only being for one season.
“I grew a lot being in that environment every day, learning from the greatest coach to do it,” Rees recalled. “It’s something I hold in very high regard. And we grew to have a really nice relationship. I’m going to owe a lot to him throughout my career […] That experience is something that you can’t ever really describe in words, and I’m really fortunate to have that opportunity in my career.”
He was also an offensive assistant with the Chargers when QB Philip Rivers threw for 4,386 yards and 33 touchdowns. Rees is now hoping to develop something special with Cleveland’s offense.
“It was always a goal as I looked at my career,” Rees said of coaching in the NFL. “I was fortunate to work with the Chargers for a year, and I was exposed to it and really enjoyed it. And then, things in the college game, I was really fortunate to work for some really good people and have some good opportunities there. So, it was always a goal to get back. I think when you play and then when you’re not good enough to play at the next level and it ends, you try to find that competitiveness that you’re missing in your life. And I think that the closest thing I could find to that was being a coach and being with the guys every day.”
Ravens
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman reflected on his career year with 756 yards and nine touchdowns, saying it’s been a product of him and Lamar Jackson remaining healthy.
“I remember when I was injured, we were getting all types of questions: ‘Is he working with Lamar in the offseason? Is he doing this?’” Bateman said, via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. “It goes to show you that hard work, commitment to your craft, being able to be on the field healthy, to have ‘L’ healthy all year, has done wonders for us.”
Bateman thinks he’s established much better chemistry with Jackson this season.
“This year, we’ve finally put it together. But we both understand,” said Bateman. “There’s a lot more out there for us.”
Ravens veteran WR Nelson Agholor has been proud of Bateman’s progress this season and is excited to continue watching him grow.
“It means a lot to me that, through our time together, he’s been able to overcome some things and take the next step,” Agholor said. “The beautiful thing about Rashod is there’s more to go. He’s such a good player, so cerebral, so gifted. I’m excited for the things to come. I see him as one of the premier guys in this league. God-willing, the rest of the world gets to see it, too.”
- Ian Rapoport mentions that WR Zay Flowers will miss the team’s matchup against the Bills with a knee injury but could return if the team advances to the semi-finals.
Titans
Titans WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine had a strong 2024 campaign with nine touchdowns on 32 receptions. He reflected on his season, saying he’s proud of his personal success but
“It’s tough to balance being excited for personal success, but not getting results as a team that you want,” Westbrook-Ikhine said, via Jim Wyatt of the team’s site. “I feel like the shared success feels better. It feels better when you can celebrate with teammates. But I am proud of the work I put in, and I’m very grateful for the opportunities I was given this year.”
Westbrook-Ikhine is set to enter the open market as a free agent.
“There have been tough times for me personally over the years, but at the end of the day I’ve felt the love of this city, whether it’s people on the streets, at stores, but really the community I’ve found a lot of good friends I’ve met along the way,” Westbrook-Ikhine said. “The fan base and as a community of Nashville, that definitely plays a factor, being rooted in the city and already and having a home. And, I’m really grateful for this organization, this community, these players, these coaches.”
Westbrook-Ikhine focus this offseason is getting his body and mind right for 2025.
“Right now, it’s going to be about getting the body right, the mind right, to get ready,” Westbrook-Ikhine said. “It’s not the first time (I’ve been through this), so we’ll see how it shakes out.”
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