The Cleveland Browns are making a huge switch right after their Week 9 bye. Following a brutal 32-13 loss to the New England Patriots, head coach Kevin Stefanski is officially giving up on his offensive play-calling responsibilities and handing it to Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees.

The move is a direct response to the offense’s ongoing struggles. Even though Coach Stefanski has won the Coach of the Year award twice, the offense hasn’t been good enough. This news is reported by ESPN’s Cleveland Browns reporter, Daniel Oyefusi, on his X account.

He writes, “Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is handing playcalling duties to OC Tommy Rees.”

The offense’s struggles have been hard to ignore. The Browns are averaging just 15.8 points per game, ranking near the bottom of the league. Their passing attack has yet to find consistency. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel has had flashes but has also faced turnover issues, leaving the team searching for answers.

With Shedeur Sanders sidelined from Monday’s practice due to a back injury, the passing game faces added uncertainty. This puts even more pressure on Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees to spark the offense after the Week 9 bye.

Shedeur Sanders’ back injury from practice on Monday

Shedeur Sanders didn’t take the field Monday. The Browns just came off a bye week, but that wasn’t quite enough for quarterback Shedeur Sanders. 

Remember, Sanders was dealing with a nagging back injury that kept him out of the tough Week 8 loss to the New England Patriots. Even with the break, he’s still working hard to get that injury sorted out and get back on the practice field.

In fact, now ex-Head Coach Kevin Stefanski offered a quick update, simply saying, 

“Shedeur is still dealing with the back injury, but getting better.”

According to Chris Easterling, things didn’t look much different at Tuesday’s session. Sanders (back) wasn’t spotted, and neither were wide receiver Isaiah Bond (whose issue is currently listed as “unknown”) or linebacker Carson Schwesinger (dealing with an ankle issue).

For a team that’s trying to figure out its QB pecking order behind starter Dillon Gabriel, Sanders’ continued absence means a lack of clarity on the whole backup quarterback conversation.

The only two quarterbacks actually throwing passes at practice were the current starter, fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, and practice-squad veteran Bailey Zappe, who had stepped in as the official backup (QB2) for the New England game.

For now, the plan is simple. If Sanders gets the all-clear and is ready, he’ll reclaim that backup spot behind Dillon Gabriel for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.