Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (8.31.22)
On the Browns claiming QB Kellen Mond via waivers:
“What we are trying to do and what (Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager) Andrew is trying to do is make sure that we have developmental players. [Mond is] somebody who we evaluated a couple of years ago. Bring him in and see what we have.”
On if it was a difficult decision to claim Mond via waivers, given Mond takes a spot on the 53-man roster rather than signing a practice squad QB:
“They are all difficult. As you can imagine, getting to 53 is difficult. The practice squad is difficult. Yeah that is a valuable spot, but obviously, we identified Kellen as a guy we wanted to add to our roster.”
On if the Browns see a long-term future for Mond or if Mond is simply a scout team QB for now:
“I would hope for all of our guys that they have a long-term future. That is the idea behind the roster. We will get him in here tonight, I will shake his hand tomorrow and start teaching him the offense.”
On DE Chase Winovich returning to practice:
“Good to have Chase out there. He has been battling that injury for a couple of weeks here. It is good to just progress him out here in individual, some team periods special teams and all of that.”
On Winovich playing with the third team defense at Jacksonville prior to the injury and the team’s faith to keep Winovich on the 53-man roster after missing time due to injury:
“I would not read too much into one preseason game, if you will. He is somebody who we worked in a lot with the ones and twos previous to that game, and we have tape on him. We kind of know the player. Excited about what Chase is going to do for us.”
On the decision to move David Moore Jr. from G to DT:
“That is something that we have really been talking about for a while. He was a scout team defensive tackle for us – as you know, when you are late in the season, you are kind of kicking guys over – and he was really strong and difficult for our guys to block sometimes. Just felt like at this point it made sense to see what he has over there. He is excited about it. I am excited about it for him. It is versatility really is what it is. He can line up and give us a scout team look when our No. 1 offense is out there, and then when our No. 1 defense is out there. he can kick over to the [scout team] offense and can give you reps, as well.”
On if Moore played DT earlier in his career:
“I am not aware.”
On if the Browns or Moore initiated the conversation about switching from G to DT:
“We have been talking about it honestly from when he was on scout team last year, just hearing the offensive linemen talk about how strong he was. It was something that was in the back of our mind and then something that we brought up to David yesterday.”
On the Browns’ goals for this week ahead of the Labor Day break and Week 1 practice week:
“That long weekend, it is standard across the league, and all of the players are going to get fresh over the weekend. Right now, we are just worried about just making sure that we are sharp. These days here are really about sharpening everything we are doing from a mental standpoint and a physical standpoint.”
On WRs Daylen Baldwin and Michael Harley Jr. clearing waivers and signing with the Browns practice squad:
“We are excited about those guys. Individually, both made a lot of plays in practice. I know DB was somebody who we got later on. Mike Harley from the beginning has done a nice job for us so excited about his development. DB worked through that injury the last maybe 10 days or so. Having him back out there, it was great to see.”
On if WR Amari Cooper is ready to lead the Browns young WRs:
“I think so. He is a pro. All of those guys look up to him because of who he is and the production he has, but he is very, very helpful as a mentor to those guys.”
On the Browns’ plans to fill open practice squad spots:
“We will see. I think a lot of that remains to be seen.”
On what Greg Newsome II has shown since returning to practice from injury:
“He looks like himself. Really competitive. Moving well. He has done a nice job.”
On T Jack Conklin’s practice schedule today and moving forward:
“He was out here. He did work. He practiced. I am not going to get too far ahead, but he is progressing. He is where we want him.”
On if T James Hudson III or T Chris Hubbard is the backup RT behind Conklin, given the lineup and reps during preseason:
“We have options. We are not going to set that just yet, but we have options there.”
On what resonated most when having conversations with other coaches and individuals about QB Jacoby Brissett prior to the acquisition:
“A lot. The coaches I talked to about Jacoby first of all raved about him and raved about the person. Then when you start to dive into the things that he has been through and the situations he has been in and around, I think it goes to show you this is a player who has seen a lot in his young life and young career and I think has shaped him into a really resilient person and a really, really solid leader for this football team.”
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