Kevin Stefanski's opening press conference as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons went better than most fans expected, but there was still a major blemish. The expectation was that Stefanski would call plays in his first season in Atlanta, something he quickly debunked while talking at the podium.
The 43-year-old revealed to the media that offensive coordinator Tommy Rees will be calling plays for the Falcons in 2026. This was somewhat expected after he relinquished play-calling duties to Rees midway through 2025, but many were hoping to see Stefanski work more directly with the offense.
The two-time Coach of the Year did fantastic work with Baker Mayfield before he was traded, which was supposed to be good news for Michael Penix Jr.'s development. Instead, a relatively inexperienced OC who helmed one of the NFL's worst offenses in 2025 is our new play-caller.
If you thought it couldn't get worse after Zac Robinson, boy do I have some bad news for you.
Kevin Stefanski letting Tommy Rees call plays is the least encouraging decision he's made with the Falcons so far
The good news is that Rees was working with virtually zero offensive talent (especially at QB) in Cleveland and is about to cash in a major upgrade. Any OC should be able to scheme a solid offense with Bijan Robinson and Drake London at their disposal, which is encouraging at the very least.
The 33-year-old has called plays at both Alabama and Notre Dame, but that doesn't move the needle that much. He was basically forced out the door when Kalen DeBoer arrived in Tuscaloosa, and much of their offensive success came in spite of Jalen Milroe's play, which isn't a credit to his play-calling.
Rees has become one of the brighter names in coaching circles, but I don't see it. The Browns ranked 31st in EPA per play and points per game due to a rough QB situation, and Atlanta's isn't much better. Michael Penix Jr. is rehabbing another injury and it's almost guaranteed Kirk Cousins won't be back.
It's nice to know that Stefanski has confidence in others to the point that he's willing to surrender play-calling duties, but not before even playing a game. Rees is his right-hand man and they employ the same scheme, but it's always a safer bet to trust the guy with more experience to call the plays.
Stefanski has assembled a solid coaching staff thus far and while allowing Rees to serve as the play-caller could work out, there's a chance it ends just as poorly as the Robinson experiment did.