Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (8.30.22)
On S D’Anthony Bell making the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent:
“I was not the one who told him, but as you can imagine for all of these guys, oftentimes it is a dream for every rookie. You are drafted or undrafted, it is a dream to make that 53. It is hard to make that 53. I am really proud of those guys. It was a very, very difficult decision in a bunch of areas, but the guys that you are fortunate enough to keep, you are excited for.”
On if the team now flips the focus to Week 1 and the Panthers now that training camp and preseason are complete and making tough decisions to get the roster to 53 players:
“It does. For sure, it definitely flips towards Week 1. It is odd to have 53 guys out here and just the sheer number of players because you can’t have the practice squad out here just yet. Just having the lines looking so short there when you are doing routes versus air, it looks always strange on that first day. A tough couple of days. Like we have talked about all along, if you are making tough decisions, you are doing something right from a roster perspective.”
On ‘how complete’ the Browns roster is now:
“I think we will see. Like we talked about before, sometimes that 53 is not the final one. Really, it evolves the entire season, also. I think it remains to be seen.”
On sharing in the past that he loves FBs and TEs and the Browns roster currently having zero and two players at those positions, respectively:
“It does not mean I do not love those positions still. Again, it just goes back to that 53 is a puzzle, and you are trying to put it together and be smart about how you do it. We will see how it shakes out.”
On if QB Deshaun Watson will remain in Cleveland during the suspension:
“I am not going to get into that. I know he is going to be away here for a couple of days at least to start. I think he has a really good plan. Obviously, as you know, we can’t direct it and we can’t follow up with him. It is really no contact with him until October 10. I am confident that he has a good plan to do some good work while he is away from the building.”
On his message to Watson prior to the suspension beginning this afternoon:
“Obviously, I visited with Deshaun today. I am not going to get into specifics, but I think it is a great opportunity for him right now while he is away from this building to go work on football, work on himself and work on a bunch of different things.”
On if it is frustrating that the CBA does not allow for teams to work directly with NFL players while serving suspensions:
“Those are the rules.”
On who supervises Watson’s plan while away from the facility:
“We definitely work together to make sure that there is a plan. It does not mean that we are involved day to day, but we can help make sure that he has everything that he needs resources wise, and then he has a quarterbacks coach Quincy Avery, who is a really good quarterback coach, so he will work closely with Quincy.”
On who ensures Watson complies with the parameters of the suspension, including mandatory evaluation and treatment:
“That is not me, but I am sure somebody.”
On a NFL reporter sharing that Panthers QB Baker Mayfield stated to her that he wants to ‘f-up the Browns’ in Week 1:
“I am not going to get involved in that type of thing. As you know, it is Carolina week. I get how unique it is that Baker is the starting quarterback for the Panthers. We are really going to focus on putting a plan together to beat the Panthers. That is really the focus.”
On if there are Xerox copies of Mayfield’s quote in the Browns locker room now:
“No.”
On if he does not believe in the approach of posting Mayfield’s comments in the locker room for motivation:
“I don’t.”
On if the Browns might acquire a FB or if the position has been phased out of the offensive scheme:
“We will see is probably the easiest way to answer that. We have a bunch of different ways we can go offensively, and it can be by game-specific. We will see how that goes.”
On if the Browns could keep all five of the RBs currently on the roster:
“We could. Sure.”
On the Browns’ talent and depth at RB:
“It is a very, very competitive room. As we talked about a lot, I feel really good about all of those guys. They all have different skillsets. That is the exciting part for us as coaches is we have guys who are good football players, but everybody does something a little bit differently.”
On the five wide receivers currently on the Browns roster:
“Feel good. I know I have gotten a lot of questions about that room, and I feel good about those guys.”
On what WR Michael Woods II showed the Browns to make the 53-man roster, given Woods has missed time recently due to injury:
“There is a balance there. Obviously, you want him to be healthy and available. I think he is getting really, really close to that. We drafted him for a reason. Feel strongly about the player.”
On G Drew Forbes making the 53-man roster after opting out of the 2020 season and sustaining a season-ending injury prior to the 2021 campaign:
“Worked really hard. You mentioned the season that he was away there, came back in great shape and very eager to work. One of the hardest workers. Definitely one of the strongest guys on the team. He has had a really good training camp and preseason.”
On Bell making the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent who played football at four different colleges:
“It is a unique story. He has earned it for sure. Just he has taken a different path than most.”
On how hard it was to only keep two TEs on the 53-man roster, given has been a position of emphasis the past two years:
“Again, I think with that 53, it is a puzzle. You are trying to put it together as best you can. Really, it is our job with (Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager) Andrew (Berry), the personnel staff and the coaches to talk about how we want to play, what we need and where we are going. Those are tough decisions to make. You would love to keep everybody. As we know, you can’t.”
On if the Browns feel like there is a need to have a QB on the practice squad:
“We will have a quarterback on the practice squad, yes.”
On if the Browns will sign a K to the practice squad:
“We will see.”
# # #
***Visit the Browns Media Center for materials provided by the Browns communications department, including media schedules, press releases, quotes, photos, media guides, rosters, depth charts and more.***