Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (5.28.25)
Opening statement:
“Okay, day two OTA for us. I thought it was really good work. The guys are doing everything we’re asking of them both in the meeting room, the weight room, out here on the practice field. As you know, as coaches, we love phase three. It’s finally when we get to go against each other, offense, defense, get to really simulate practice in a lot of ways. So just getting into phase three with this first week of OTAs, but I think the guys are doing a really nice job. I also want to just thank Dee and Jimmy (Haslam) and JW (Johnson) and Whitney (Haslam-Johnson) and allowing the Keepers Foundation to have a presence today. We have a whole group out here of really pillars in our community that we wanted to recognize and partner with, and that’s who’s out here. So, we’re very fortunate to have a group out here that really supports the community, and we’re proud to be a part of it. So, the Keepers Foundation is in year two, and we’re excited about the events we’ve had and the events that we have coming up. We have an event June 12 down at Truss that we’re really excited about, so you’ll hear more about that. But again, appreciative of Dee, Jimmy, JW and Whitney allowing us to highlight this foundation. So, with that, I’ll take any questions.”
Kevin, I know you said not to read too much into the practice order, but…
“You’re not listening to me, right?”
But obviously, we saw Kenny (Pickett) and Joe (Flacco) take the majority of the first reps. I just want to ask, especially with Kenny, what has stood out to you about him as he’s kind of joined this new team over the last couple months?
“Yeah, I’m really excited about what Kenny brings to the team. He’s a guy that works extremely hard at his craft. I love the way he thinks about the game. He’s very, very tough. So, he’s doing a nice job. As you can imagine, with quarterbacks or any position, we’re throwing a lot at these guys, and I think he’s handling it really well.”
How do you think it went with adding reps that weren’t orchestrated in there?
“I think good. I think it’s day two for us, Tony (Grossi), in doing it, so I think everybody understands where they’re supposed to be and when they’re supposed to be there. There’s a little bit of directing traffic when you’ve got two drills going on at one time, but they’ve done a really nice job. The players and coaches making sure that we’re practicing in a safe way. We’re getting good looks for our guys to learn from on both sides of the ball and not asking more than we need to of the guys physically.”
When you’re splitting them up like that, you know, putting the rookies on one field and the vets on the other, when you go back and you’re reviewing the practice film, are you grading any different versus the defensive players that they’re actually going up against?
“Yeah, not necessarily, Daryl (Ruiter). I think, listen, all of these reps like we’ve talked about are super valuable, whether you’re getting the rep or not. If you’re standing behind and you’re getting the rep as it happens, or you’re getting it in the, in the meeting room or you’re doing VR, all these reps add up and with every position, they’re being graded on every play. And there’s a variety of things that they’re being graded on, but obviously for the quarterback, decision making, technique, accuracy, those type of things. But we just, we love the opportunity with being out here on the practice field, being able to have two drills where we can maximize all the time that we’re out here.”
Does Joe Flacco look like the same guy you had here two years ago?
“Yeah, he does. Yeah, I mean, Joe physically has been gifted with the ability to throw the football. He looks the same to me. He’s doing, again, similar comment to Kenny. It’s just fun having some veterans in that room, some young guys in the quarterback room. They really feed off of each other. And certainly, Joe has a lot to explain to the guys or a lot of wisdom to impart on those guys of things that have come up in his career.”
Kevin, the other day you said that OTAs would be important to Diontae Johnson. Is the fact that he’s not here, is that important?
“Well, I think it’s really important to remember that this is a voluntary program and anybody who’s here, we’re excited about that. We’re not reporting who’s here on what day. So, there are guys that will be in and out of the program and that is totally their prerogative. But the guys that are here will just continue to work.”
It felt like last year was a rocky year for him. He bounced around to several teams. So, what does he kind of have to show you to reestablish himself as a player he had been for all those years?
“I wouldn’t really think of it that big picture, Scott (Petrak). I think for us it’s just getting him to understand our program, what we’re about, get him out here competing, but we’ll really take that one day at a time.”
Kevin, it seemed like watching today, Jerry (Jeudy) caught just about everything thrown to him, no matter who was throwing it to him. Just how important is he going to be for these quarterbacks to get looks to and what’s like next for him in this offense?
“Yeah, I think Jerry is still a young player. I think Jerry has room to grow. I think he would tell you that. There’s techniques that he’s working on. It was year one for us with him, so getting a feel for the route concepts that he’s really good at, things that he can improve upon. But with year two with a team, you’re constantly thinking about that next step. And that can come in a variety of ways, certainly usage and where we put him and how we use them and what position he’s playing and when you’re motioning and when you’re doing different things. I think those are all the types of things that can grow in the year two.”
Kenny been compared because of his draft pedigree to guys like (Sam) Darnold and (Geno) Smith, who has had a late resurgence in their career. Why do you think we’ve seen those kinds of guys make sort of later arrivals?
“I think every player is, you know, their career has different twists and turns to it. Certainly, I’ve seen that in my time, just with different players at every position and you need the right people around you to have some success. So, Kenny is a young football player. This is year four for him. He just won the Super Bowl last season, watching and playing, but certainly seeing how it’s done at an extremely high level in a different way, different system, those type of things. But still a young player that I think has a lot left to go in his career.”
The guys who choose not to be here, do they inform you of that?
“Sometimes, Tony (Grossi), but that’s really not necessary. So, I’ve had good communication with a bunch of guys.”
Myles Garrett is in Japan, does that upset you in any way that he wouldn’t be on the field?
“No, this is a voluntary program.”
In terms of Joe Flacco went first. I know that we’re not supposed to make a deal of it but first in the first team in 11-on-11 and then Kenny Pickett in the second set. Is that a good way to kind of mix things up and get a thorough evaluation?
“It is, Mary Kay (Cabot). We’re doing that every day. We’re mixing it up every single day. So that’s why I tell you not to read much into it, even though you guys don’t listen to me. But we’re just trying to get guys exposure to different concepts, those type of things. So, it varies by walkthrough. It can vary by drill. It’s not something that we’re really – we’re not leaning into or worried about the order at this moment.”
Will the extra reps continue through minicamp and then you reassess?
“That’s right, yes. I mean, I think it’s something when your roster is at 90 that you can do.”
Can do early in training camp?
“Potentially.”
You would do the same thing?
“Potentially.”
We saw Mason (Graham) get a couple of nice rushes there. One of them ended up in a tip ball for a pick. What are your impressions of him from rookie camp when you were joking about him losing his lunch and all that, but just what are your impressions from rookie camp to what you’ve seen here now?
“Yeah, really working extremely hard. Is in the weight room, I see him out here getting extra work, doing great in the meeting rooms. As you guys know, phase three, the offseason, is not really made for offensive lineman and defensive linemen. So, there’s a lot of work that happens in individual drills. So, Coach Jacques (Cesaire) has his hands on them and they’re doing just that. They’re working really hard.”
Kevin, I think we’ve asked you this. I know it’s May…
“It doesn’t feel like it, though.”
Yeah, you’re right about that. Is there any way that you keep four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster?
“Yeah, it’s May and any roster type decisions are so far off.”
I mean, have you ever been around a team that did that?
“I’d have to check.”
Kevin, going back to the offensive line thing, how much can you learn about the run game in a setting like this?
“It’s hard. Yeah, it’s really hard. I think, for us, we go back to this part of the season is still about fundamentals and techniques, and we don’t want to get very far away from that. So while we do have team periods and while we do have seven on seven, what we do in individual drills is as important as anything we do every day. So that oftentimes is related to the run game. And we’re working the run game in individual, working it in a walkthrough setting, which I still think you can get better at, but it is. The rules are not written to go run it every down because obviously you have to limit contact in these drills.”
Dawand (Jones) looks like he’s moving really well. He looks to be in pretty good shape. What have you seen so far?
“He’s excited about his (Indiana) Pacers. Yeah, he’s doing a nice job. Again, Coach (Mike) Bloomgren, Coach (Ben) Wilkerson, Coach (Sanders) Davis, they’re working really hard with all those guys and pushing them. And there’s a lot of new things that they’re learning, whether technique or terminology, whatever it may be. And he’s embracing that. He’s here every day pushing very hard.”
We also saw Alex Wright and Ronnie Hickman kind of working on the side and watching practice. I know Alex had just got cleared, but any update?
“No update. They’re just working through a couple things, but they’ll be out there soon.”
So, what we saw with the quarterbacks, was it similar to yesterday or did you change things?
“Yeah, we’re going to mix it up every single day in terms of what guys are getting which reps.”
So if the order doesn’t matter, does the lack of reps for Shedeur (Sanders) with the ones matter?
“No, not for one day.”
Kevin, in terms of Myles, is he communicating whether he’d be here next week or you don’t expect him until minicamp?
“Yeah, we’ll see. I’m worried about day to day, but let me reiterate, this is a voluntary program across the NFL. Guys, that’s their right, whether they’re here or not. The guys that are here, we coach them up. The guys that aren’t here, that is totally their decision to make.”
Kevin, running those simultaneous drills, I get it with the four quarterbacks wanting to get them reps. The reason you haven’t done that as much in the past. Is it just a wear and tear thing?
“Yeah. Well, I think, obviously you do it when your roster is at 90 and you have to be smart that you’re not shifting cost to somewhere else and doing it where you’re going to expose somebody else to injury. And I think Tommy (Rees) has done a nice job in scripting it. Coach (Jim) Schwartz has done a great job and getting his guys the reps that they need. So, I do think it’s a way that you can practice safely and still get a lot of good reps to evaluate your players.”
We’re supposed to hear from Jerome Baker today. We haven’t got a chance, I don’t think, to really ask you about him. But looking at what he can bring, what do you envision, especially with the way he’s been able to create takeaways throughout his career?
“Excited about Jerome. There’s some young kids here again to visit, and I asked them who their favorite player was, and one of them said Jerome Baker. So, you can guess where that kid’s from. So excited to have Jerome here. He is a very fast football player. He processes really quickly. He does have great ball skills, like you mentioned, Ashley (Bastock), so we’ll see how he fits in. But he’s taking to everything we’ve taught him. He’s taking to it really well.”
With those changes that you’re going to be making with reps, would you envision that some of the rookies would get first team reps against the first team defense then?
“Yes.”
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