The Cleveland Browns are hard at work putting the finishing touches on next season's coaching staff after a disappointing campaign that gave the franchise the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Significant improvements need to be made across the roster and those needs could grow should Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward wind up being traded. Suffice to say, it's important for the Browns to put the best possible staff in place to help develop the influx of young players the roster is about to receive.
That's what makes Thursday night's decision to hire Christian Jones to replace Tommy Rees as tight ends coach is puzzling. Rees is the offensive coordinator now and will have some input on the tight end room, but Jones has no experience working with the position and will face an uphill battle.
ICYMI: #Browns to hire Christian Jones to replace Tommy Rees as tight ends coach https://t.co/aBgP4geAKs via @beaconjournal
— Chris Easterling (@ceasterlingABJ) February 7, 2025
Browns Hire Christian Jones as Tight Ends Coach in Puzzling Decision
Jones spent the previous three years on the New York Giants coaching staff, serving as an assistant quarterbacks coach over the last two seasons. He previously worked with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski in 2019 when he was the Minnesota Vikings' offensive quality control coach and Stefanski was the offensive coordinator.
There's a level of familiarity here that makes some sense, though Jones has never specifically coached tight ends, making this a risky hire.
This specific decision won't make or break Cleveland's season. David Njoku is one of the better tight ends in the league, and there isn't a ton of developing for him to do at this point anyway. The Browns have much bigger issues across the organization, and perhaps this can be an opportunity for Jones to grow as a coach without much pressure.
Even still, there are more questions than answers. It's likely that Cleveland won't be competitive in 2025 but with a few shrewd moves, hopefully the Browns will be positioned to make a run the following year.
Whether or not these coaching moves work out will say a lot about the future outlook. For the fans, fingers crossed that Jones' inexperience doesn't wind up costing the coaching staff.