Assistant GM & Vice President of Football Operations Catherine Hickman (9.2.26)
Cat, every player you’ve added to the 53 has been a veteran. Is that an acknowledgement that maybe you were too young?
“Being young, that’s actually something we’re really proud of and excited about. We are, by age average, the second-youngest roster as of right after cutdown, and that’s something we take pride in, because we want to be a team that builds through the draft and then works really hard to develop our players. But we also acknowledge that building a roster involves adding veteran presence as well, both from a performance standpoint but also mentorship. So, I think it’s just as we think about it holistically, we want to be as complete as we can be.”
When you look at corner, how difficult was it during camp losing several guys to injuries, and then on top of that adding three guys to the 53 in the last week? How do you work through those challenges?
“I’d view them as opportunities to get the roster better, and I think that’s what we try to do at cutdown. There are many avenues to player acquisition, whether that’s claiming a guy like (Mekhi) Blackmon, or adding Noah (Igbinoghene) and Tori (Toriano Pride Jr.). Those are just players that come in and give us flexibility, give us some veteran presence as well, experience. That’s just more help for our defense, and it gives flexibility and options to our coaching staff.”
Would Toriano be here if not for the joint practices, or was he someone who was already on your radar?
“Well, he’s played well against us for sure, but the speed comes off the tape. That’s something he brings and adds for us. So, he was definitely someone we wanted to keep an eye on.”
How about your defensive end rotation right now? It’s been a bit of a challenge to get it restocked and keep it stocked. How do you feel about where it’s at, and what can you tell us about Sam (Williams)?
“So, we have a great blend of youth and experience there, so we’re excited about that. Sam is a physical player, a competitive player, plays with a high motor, and will be able to contribute to both phases. Really someone we felt was a really good fit in terms of our DNA on defense, and we’re looking forward to how he adds to the room.”
Who’s the Youngstown State connection in the organization? You have two Youngstown State players?
“No. We just look for the best player available out there to help us and make us better, wherever they’re from.”
That a receiver who you guys haven’t acknowledged yet, but it’s been reported. What’s his name, Bub? Is he on the team? Bub Means. Is he on your practice squad or not?
“The players that are on the practice squad are the ones that we’ve announced so far. So, if he hasn’t been announced, he’s not.”
When you stay young like you are, do you project when you want this team to be a real contender?
“The best teams do that. They can combine the ability to win now and build for the future as well, and those are the things we try to do here.”
Versatility is always important, but with the defensive line injuries you guys have seen, has there been a concerted effort to get more versatility? We saw Mike Hall Jr. playing on the edge, is that something you guys are focusing on as an organization?
“I think it’s credit to the coaching staff. The coaching staff really looks at what our players do well and how they can help us, and they don’t limit themselves necessarily to one role or one box and look at what kind of versatility we can have. Mike’s done a really nice job outside, and all of a sudden that just opens up possibilities and ways to navigate the things that happen in season, like injuries. Those are just part of the game, so flexibility has been helpful.”
We talked to Todd (Monken) yesterday about explosive plays and getting them in a variety of ways. When you look at the young roster additions you guys have had over the last two years between Harold (Fannin Jr.), Quinshon (Judkins), the two rookies now. How confident are you as a front office that you have the diverse skill sets to generate different kinds of explosive plays?
“We’re really confident in our players and coaching staff. One thing they do really well is put the players in the best position to succeed and explore their strengths, and that’s what we’re really looking forward to seeing on display as we head to Jacksonville and the rest of the regular season, is really putting those players in position to create explosive plays and score points.”
Did the Browns receive any trade offers for a quarterback?
“Not that I will comment on.”
You guys can’t make decisions based on fan sentiment or feedback, but the Deshaun (Watson) situation is unique. I’m sure you’ve heard the noise externally. Organizationally, how do you deal with such a visceral, negative reaction to a decision, and how do you flip that into a positive?
“Everything we do is to win football games. That’s how we make our decisions, that’s how we think about it as an organization, and that’s no different at that position.”
When you’re trimming the roster and deciding which guys make it, which guys don’t, which guys to expose to waivers, do you weigh or balance figuring out who might get through that might come back to you and who you want to stash or keep? How do you go through those conversations as a team?
“We try to put the best roster together. There are some considerations, of course, when a player performed really well in preseason exposures, there are some thoughts there. But at the end of the day, we assess what they’ve done and make our decisions based on the full body of work, and we try to do what’s best for the Browns. If that means carrying a player on the 53 because he made the team, he made the team. There’s always a risk of losing players through waivers with other teams, and that’s definitely part of the conversation. But we try to put the best roster together for us.”
When you’re looking at adding players like Sam, or some of the younger guys, how much of that comes from Draft scouting and keep a list of guys you’d look into adding if they became available?
“Yeah, that’s a continuous process of our pro scouting. I would say it depends on where they’re at in their career, in the cycle. If a player has been in the league for a really long time, beyond his rookie contract, we’ve accumulated a lot of information in the pro world that we feel pretty strong about, in terms of the acquisition, based on what we have. But when a player is still on his first contract, of course what we had on him in college still helps inform the decision, because that’s available and still relevant.”
Rebuilding an offensive line in an entire off-season isn’t easy to do, and you injected some youth along with veteran presence there. What have you seen from that group, and what do you think of the progress they’ve made collectively?
“Very, very impressed by the progress overall, credit to our coaches. I think one of the key points has been versatility and flexibility. We’ve seen it with Austin (Barber) taking some reps inside, and some of the veteran players we have played multiple positions as well, you think of Tytus (Howard) and Elgton (Jenkins). Again, it gives you options, and the players have done a wonderful job learning, in the classroom and on the field. To the beginning of your question, it’s not an easy task, and we’ll continue to build this position like we build every other position. But so far, very pleased with what we’ve seen, and the rest is still to be seen.”
Last year, Luke Floriea got hurt in the preseason and you ended up bringing him back to the practice squad. He had a much better preseason this year, but why did you not bring him back?
“Luke, to your point, had a great training camp. He’s given us everything he’s had, played really well. While I’m not going to get into any specific player decisions, when we do put the roster together there are so many layers and different components that come with building the 53-man roster and the practice squad. So, that’s where it ended, but it doesn’t mean we couldn’t bring him back in the future. That’s also a possibility.”
What are your thoughts on Taylen Green, his skill set, what he brings to the table, but also how might he cement or solidify his status on this 53?
“Well, he is on the 53. Taylen, extremely smart, great work ethic, very talented, both as a passer but as well as, as you guys have always seen, he can extend plays with his legs. So, we’re just very excited to work with him, for the coaches to continue developing him and get him more familiar and comfortable in our offense.”
You did bring back Kole Wilson, who’s only 5’7”. Every other receiver added to the practice squad has been over 6 feet. Is that a coach’s preference?
“No, I think it’s us putting the best group together, and also, we talked about it, giving yourself different options, different skill sets, to have versatility and an option if we do have to call up a guy, you’re not limited to just a certain type or what not. We’re really just trying to put the best roster and practice squad together. And then to the question you asked me earlier that I paused on, I just want to revisit specifically my answer. The reason I didn’t answer on the trade component things is that that would be more of an Andrew (Berry) question, if there was offers or if he had discussed any of them. That’s not something that I would comment on at this point, so I just wanted to make sure that I clarify that.”
Overall, when you look at how Todd handled the quarterback competition, what did you see from it? What did you guys like, and did the front office have any say in the final decision of who was going to start?
“I think Todd’s done a great job coming into the situation with a clean slate, open to his process and how he wanted to go about the evaluation and seeing what he needed to see. At the end of the day, he had to make the decision. I’m very pleased with how thorough and detailed he was, and how he came to the conclusion he thought was best.”
When you drafted KC (Concepcion Jr.) and Denzel (Boston), I’m sure you had some vision of what you thought they’d look like and how they would perform. They’ve both had great camps, obviously. What has, for you guys, impressed you the most about their ability to adjust to the NFL so quickly?
“Multiple things, but I can talk about their focus in the classroom and learning this offense and our playbook. They have been extremely locked in in learning our offense and seeking out all the resources they can seek, whether that’s with coaching or player development, to make the most of this off-season program. And then on the field, we’ve all seen how they’ve been able to deliver, and perform really well, both of them. So, we’re very excited to continue to support them and see their growth throughout the regular season.”
# # #
***Visit the for materials provided by the Browns communications department, including media schedules, press releases, quotes, photos, media guides, rosters, depth charts and more.***