Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Player Personnel Glenn Cook (9.1.22)
On how QB Jacoby Brissett’s past NFL experience in unique situations, including as a backup QB called into action, will help him this season:
“We have seen it out in camp. Jacoby is just really poised. He is really under control. He has come in pretty quickly and grasped the offense really well. I think you will see a lot of things you have seen throughout camp where he is going to be steady, not be up or down no matter howe we are playing are on offense. I think he will do well for us.”
On how much of the Browns having one of the youngest rosters in the NFL is by design:
“I can’t tell you it is by design, but it has kind of been consistent for us throughout the years that I have been here. It is just kind of it has played out. I would not say that it is completely intentional.”
On if it seems counterproductive that the roster seems to be ready to win now yet has inexperience at certain positions:
“I think that is just a pat of building teams. There is turnover every year. Oftentimes, the people you are replacing them with are younger individuals. That is just part of it. There will be uncertainty. That is why we have to trust the process. We are not focused on Week 1; we want to make sure that we are hitting our stride midseason and towards the end so we feel good about where we are.”
On the Browns QBs sharing traits of size and athleticism and when the decision was made to acquire QBs with those assets, given past Browns QBs did not necessarily have those characteristics:
“I wish it was intentional. I wish it was on purpose. I think it has kind of played out that way. Each situation was unique in terms of how they came available and the timing of when we signed them. I would say Jacoby is not as athletic as some of the other guys, but yeah, (QB Kellen) Mond, we just acquired him, and he is athletic. Then obviously (QB) Josh (Dobbs), he has done a great job throughout camp. I would not say it is completely intentional in terms of philosophical change. It is just kind of how it has played out.”
On adding Mond to the 53-man roster and signing QB Josh Rosen to the practice squad:
“Just keeping as many good players as we can. We were fond of Kellen from afar throughout the draft process. Having an opportunity to get a young player in who we still see some development runway for and work with him and see what he can do for us and how he develops. We like what Josh did in camp so we are glad to have him back, too.”
On having only two TEs on the 53-man roster:
“It is still fluid. That is kind of how it played out. I think AB (Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry) would say you want to keep the best 53. I would say it is not firm. The roster is going to change throughout the season. That is kind of where we are right now at this time.”
On if Mond was on the Browns’ draft board in 2021:
“Yeah, he was on the draft board. I will not say specifically where he was, but we liked him. I think you will see that he has a strong arm, he can make all the throws and he is an athletic young man. We like the talent and what we saw of him at Texas A&M. We are just going to give him his opportunity to grow and develop here.”
On Head Coach Kevin Stefanski emphasizing the use of the TEs and FBs in past years and if there was a shift in philosophy or if that was just how it was constructed this year, given the 53-man roster currently has two and zero at the positions, respectively:
“Probably more the latter. I would just say it is how we are constructed right now. I would not look at the 53 as [final]. It will not be regardless. You will have injuries and things will come up. This will not be our final snapshot of who is on the roster so it is just kind of where we are now.”
On the state of the Browns WRs room:
“I kind of used the term earlier: We are young and they are improving, but that is a part of it. We are trusting our process and what we saw in their abilities for each player when they came out. We are going to give them their opportunities to grow. These guys come along at different points of the season and different points of their careers. Whoever steps up and is ready to go, I think we have faith in them. The (Head) Coach (Kevin Stefanski) has faith in them. We will be good there.”
On balancing being ready to win now with young WRs developing:
“I think the way we balance it is just focus on the Panthers. That is the game we need to win right now, and I think all of those guys will be ready to contribute if we need them to.”
On players like DE Chase Winovich missing time during training camp and the preseason and if that makes the roster evaluation process difficult:
“Chase has a little bit of experience in the league. We never want to overweight the preseason or overweight preseason games. We saw what he could do early in camp. We like where he is and what he will do for the defense. I think it is just a part of the process. Guys get hurt. You kind of have to trust the evaluation and trust what you saw when you did get an opportunity to see him and go from there.”
On if the Browns WR could look different midway or late in the season, given comments about development and hitting stride:
“I think it can. We will see. I think I watched another coach talk and speak about this, but you start to figure out who you are as the course of the season goes on – some of the things you do well and things you maybe do not do well. I think Coach and the staff will adjust as we need to. I think we will see. We will see.”
On the Browns not waiving a draft pick from the past three classes and the balance of wanting to develop selections with not just sticking with a player because the team drafted him:
“We all face bias. I think that is just a part of being human. For us, it is really trusting what we see every day but also giving them opportunity to develop. That is what we believe in here – give our guys time to develop, to hit their maturity and then see who they are. I would say that is the reason we kept every single player. They perform, and we think they earned it, also. You do want to give your players an opportunity to grow in your system, understand what you do and go out and perform.”
On if the approach of allowing time for players to develop, learn the system and perform is especially true when drafting younger players:
“It is part of it, but you also just take it on a case-by-case basis. Every individual comes in at a different point. You need to craft it, curtail it to who they are and go from there.”
On if the Browns knew if the Vikings were planning to sign QB Kellen Mond to their practice squad prior to Cleveland acquiring Mond via waivers:
“I do not know.”
On if there was any concern that the Vikings may have wanted to sign Mond to their practice squad:
“We were not going to call him and say, ‘Hey, this is what we are doing.’”
On confidence that WR Anthony Schwartz will be able to bounce back from a tough preseason:
“I think (WR) Amari (Cooper) said it really well – I do not know if it was yesterday or the day before – it is just his work. I think all of us hit a point in whether it is our career as players or where maybe you just have a few struggles. He has not batted an eye. He comes out every day. He puts in extra work. You see him catching a ton of balls and running routes. You have seen his progression. I think the confidence that Amari has, who is in the room with him every day and running routes and in the drills with him every day, we maintain the same level.”
On the Browns saw from Winovich in New England that led to the trade:
“It was a combination of his college work, as well as in New England. It is his ability to rush the passer. You want to value that as highly as you can. When you have the opportunity to acquire a player who can get after the quarterback, you do it.”
On Winovich without long hair:
“He looks different. He looks different.”
On the scouting report on QB Josh Dobbs before the signing:
“You use his college work as a foundation. He was productive in college. Honestly, I can’t say we knew with certainty that he would come in and perform this way, but from the spring until now, he has taken ahold of the reins and really just gotten better every day. Credit to him honestly for coming in and doing so well.”
On what has been most surprising about Dobbs’ game:
“I would not say surprised. I just think his ability to run the offense No. 1. I think he is very sneaky in terms of an athlete because I would not say it is twitchy or super-fast, but he runs away from people. He controls the pocket with his athleticism. He has been really productive and consistent as a passer. He has done well. We are really happy with him.”
On if the Browns are confident with Dobbs as the No. 2 QB going into the season:
“I think Coach (Head Coach Kevin Stefanski) said it pretty firmly for a reason. Yeah, he is out No. 2.”
On the electricity and excitement Dobbs bring to the team, referencing Dobbs diving for the pylon in preseason games:
“Yeah, maybe that is something that you did not necessarily get a chance to see. He is so smart and so quiet sometimes that that passion does not show in our daily interaction, but that is definitely fun to watch.”
On if the Browns have enough experience at DT:
“Yeah, (DT) Jordan (Elliott) had a great offseason – I think (DE) Myles (Garrett) said it. Really excited about where he is. What I spoke about earlier just in terms of hitting the stride in your third and fourth year, hopefully, he kind of makes that true for us because he has done a really good job of getting ready to play a lot of ball this season. Like I said, the rest of the group, they will come along. We feel good about where they are.”
On the performance of Browns rookies during the preseason, where the group is in their development and if the class may be ahead of where the team thought they would be at this point of the year:
“You never know. You put faith in the process – I keep saying that – but really put faith in the work that you do from right now with our scouts out in the fall all of the way through the spring. To see it come to fruition sometimes sooner than later is good, but we have not played a game yet. They have shown potential, but potential does not win you games. We are excited about where they are, but we want to see it on Sundays.”
On if it was frustrating that the team did not identify any WRs to place a waiver claim in the past week:
“No. Our group did a good job of just being prepared for whoever was available. We target what is in the market, what we think fits our team and who will help us win on Sundays. After that, we just keep doing it. We will keep doing it all year every week.”
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