HC Kevin Stefanski (8.29.23)
Opening Statement:
“Good day of work out here. As you know, it’s always an exciting day when you talk about setting your roster and those types of things. It’s also a tough day. You have a lot of conversations with guys that have been working so hard and doing everything you asked them to do and some of them will have opportunities in other places and you root for them. And then other guys are trying to get back to the practice squad. But there’s definitely a sense of disappointment with some young men today that is, again, part of this business. But today, for this group was about getting out here, continuing to stay sharp, heavy on the individual today. So, a lot of work with their position coaches, a lot of situational football work to sharpen up our situational awareness. There are still guys out there running extra gassers right now. So again, this week is just about staying sharp and preparing for September 10 and beyond. But with that, I’ll take any questions.”
What about Deshaun (Watson) and Elijah (Moore) both today? Out with illnesses, just sick?
“No, nothing. Just sick. Should be back soon.”
Did it affect practice at all only having one quarterback?
“No.”
And just looking long term, do you think you want or need a third quarterback on the active roster or would a practice squad guy be okay?
“Yeah, we’ll work through that. We kind of have a plan. I think we’re definitely going to bring in another quarterback soon, but we’ll kind of let you guys know what the moving forward. I think it’ll be interesting around the league. What teams decide to keep three on the active, which teams decide to keep some guys on practice squad. We’ll see how that goes.”
I know you wanted to hang on to Cade (York) as long as you could. Was there kind of a breaking point in your mind or was this just a matter of him not being able to get his confidence back?
“Yeah, I think as you can imagine, Tom (Withers), those are conversations you have throughout training camp, throughout this whole month. Things that you talk about internally and ultimately, we – Andrew (Berry) felt like the decision there would bring in a veteran kicker and we’re excited to add Dustin (Hopkins) to this group. He’ll be in here today. But it’s a tough decision. All these are tough decisions, but those are all things that you’re constantly talking about in this building.”
What’s the state of Denzel Ward right now? I know he’s in protocol, but is it a serious concussion?
“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to speculate there. I just would tell you he’s in protocol. Like any guy working through it.”
This is his fourth concussion. Just what’s the level of concern as far as the big picture? When you just look at the human element.
“That goes without saying with all of our players, when it comes to any injury. You want to make sure that they’re safe. So, with Denzel in this case, obviously we’ll follow every protocol, and I’m confident in our medical staff and confident in Denzel.”
What went into the decision to not keep Austin Watkins?
“I tell you, there’s a ton of tough decisions that you have got to make, Jeff (Schudel). As the coach, you’d love to keep all of them. You want to keep all 90. So, there’s going to be some guys that you let go. Austin certainly gave us some really good moments in practice, in the games and think highly of him, but just some tough decisions you have to make.”
On the flip side of that, having two undrafted rookies and (Ronnie) Hickman and (Mohamoud) Diabate make the team, like what you saw from them throughout camp and everything?
“Yeah, I think that’s a culmination of hard work, Ashley (Bastock). I tell you, that goes all the way back to when they stepped foot on campus for rookie minicamp. I mean, it’s really what we talked about last week, that global evaluation. They’ve done a nice job, so they’ve earned it, but that’s definitely a testament to the hard work that they’ve put in. And I think now the next step is continuing to grow. And I think there are some great examples on our team right now of young players that have taken leaps in going into their sophomore year, quote unquote, their junior year. I think you see a lot of players that are maturing and getting better.”
What can that say about the rest of the team when a guy like that works so hard and earns that spot?
“Yeah, I think for all these guys, this is the day you get in here and you look around, you see the guys that are still standing. It’s tough. It is really hard to make an NFL roster. It’s hard to make the 53. There are a lot of good football players across the league that don’t make a 53. So, it’s just knowing how challenging it is. And I think for me and for coaches, it’s now time to remind them. Now you have to stay on that 53. And how much are you going to work on your body? How much are you going to work on your understanding of our scheme so that you can carve out a role for this football team?”
What was it about Dustin (Hopkins) that kind of made him the guy that you targeted? What do you like about his leg?
“Yeah, as you can imagine, Andrew (Berry) and the crew looked at a lot of guys and just kind of zeroed in on Dustin as a veteran that’s been very reliable and accurate over the course of his career.”
What was it like to see Marquise Goodwin out there today on the field?
“Yeah, that’s pretty special for the young man, and I don’t know that I’ve ever been around a player who’s as locked in as he is without practicing for a long time. Coach (Chad) O’Shea and I were just talking about that as he got out here. He’s in every meeting. He is locked in every walkthrough, every game. I mean, that’s hard for a player that’s not getting any reps to play that role for himself, for his teammates. So, I’m proud of the young man. I’m excited for him. I know as a team, we’re excited for the boost that he gives us.”
Would you expect him to be ready for Cincinnati?
“I think for me, it’s too early to say. I’m very optimistic about him every single day, but we’ll see how it goes over the next weeks.”
(Harrison) Bryant and Jerome Ford? Feel good about them being ready?
“Yes.”
Alex (Wright), saw him working off to the side. How far along is he?
“Yeah, getting close. Again, I think it’s hard to give you guys an exact day, week, but he’s getting close.”
Jack (Conklin), he was another guy who was going through the protocol. He got out. How did he kind of make it through the game on Saturday?
“Yeah. Good. No worse for the wear.”
When you look at the makeup of your line, does it feel like you need to add a guard? I know Luke worked there some, but you got three centers, and I don’t know if there’s any true backup guards.
“Yeah, I think those are all things, Scott (Petrak), that we talk about. We work different guys in there, different combinations, so we’re comfortable with the guys we have. As you also know, you’re constantly working on the roster, but we feel really good about the guys we have.”
Would you guys want to keep a kicker on the practice squad?
“Yeah, I think that remains to be seen. I think there’s a good chance for it, but we’ll see how it shakes out over the next couple of days.”
Is Cade (York) somebody you would be interested in that role?
“For sure. Yes.”
How comfortable are you going into the season with rookie quarterback (Dorian Thompson-Robinson) as your main backup?
“Yeah. Feel good about it. He’s somebody that, as you know, Tony (Grossi), he’s come a long way. I mean, he’s really worked very hard all the way back to the spring when he first showed up here. He’s done a nice job. There’s a lot that goes into playing that backup role that really, he just doesn’t know yet because he’s being taught. And I point out Alex Van Pelt in that room with him every day. AVP that was his role for his career was as a backup quarterback. So, he kind of knows the ins and outs of it.”
Obviously, when you make a trade, you probably have a pretty good idea of where a guy fits in with adding Pierre (Strong). How do you envision his role now that he’s here and you got to see him on the field?
“Yeah. Somebody that you study from afar, Daryl (Ruiter). But then you got to get him ultimately in your program, and you got to see what makes sense to him and how quickly he can pick it up. He’s a very smart young man, so I know he’ll get it. But it’s a matter of us getting to know him a little bit, seeing what he fits both offensively and on special teams.”
What do you like about him coming out of New England?
“Yeah, I think speed. He really has that ability to take the ball and go. Versatility, can catch it coming out of the backfield. And again, gives you some good reps in special teams as well.”
Would you look at him as a kick returner, or because you think Jerome Ford is going to be okay, would that be his?
“Yeah, potentially. That’s certainly something that he can do. And so that helps us as you look forward into these next couple of weeks. But we’ll see how Jerome comes out of the next few days.”
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