Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (7.26.25)
Kevin, any update on Ced (Cedric Tillman)?
“No update. He’ll be out here today, so I think we dodged a bullet there.”
What about Teven Jenkins and Tony Brown II?
“Yeah, both still working through it right now. Won’t be doing much today.”
Don’t think anything major, though?
“No.”
Jordan (Hicks) leaving, there’s a leadership proponent with his voice on defensively. Have you challenged anybody to, you know, sort of take on that role? Has anybody stepped up on that?
“Yeah, I think it’s early. Certainly, every football team is different. Every team, year to year. You have different leaders emerge. Guys are at different parts of their career. So, I think it’s early for the football team to say exactly where that is. You’re right, Jordan (Hicks) was a vet, you know, a guy that we relied a lot on in a bunch of different areas, so that remains to be seen. And, yeah, of course, you nudge some young guys and some people to take on those things organically, but I think it’s early to see where that goes.”
Kevin, what about Jerome (Ford) and Mike Woods (Michael Woods II)?
“Won’t be practicing today, but like I said, progressing nicely.”
With Jerry (Jeudy), what’s the next step for him? I mean, he obviously had a huge year – career year, last year, but what’s the next step for him?
“Jerry’s (Jeudy) done a great job, obviously, on the heels of a really successful first season, but he’s had a very good offseason. He was healthy, practicing, and has a very good understanding now of our system, our scheme, how he fits in. I’ve mentioned this before, Jerry’s (Jeudy) very intelligent. So, there’s no shortage of where you can line him up, what you can move him around to do. So, I’ve been really pleased with all the things that Jerry’s (Jeudy) doing. I think to the earlier question, I think he’s taking on a leadership role as well now that he’s in whatever year this is for him. And it’s a younger receiving room, so I think he can provide leadership to those guys as well.”
When you huddle up tomorrow with Bill (Musgrave) and Tommy (Rees) and the offensive staff and quarterbacks and all that kind of stuff, when we show back up on Monday, do you think there will be a discernible difference in what you guys have going on or shake it up a lot?
“Yeah, it remains to be seen. Mary Kay (Cabot). I think we still need to rep everybody and get everybody ready for the preseason for this season. So, I want to get through today’s practice and take in all the information, see how guys are performing at all positions. And then that’s when we kind of get into the nitty gritty of who’s going where and with what groups. But I can’t promise you anything on Monday, we’ll see how it looks.”
You seeing any signs of those receivers getting overtaxed after only three days while the ones start running?
“No, I think the guys are doing a really nice job. I think that’s definitely part of our job, Tony (Grossi), with this being day, you know, four of a four-day block, you got to be careful and make sure you’re asking the guys to do things that you’re not overtaxing them. For instance, we’ll be in the red zone a good bit today. We did one-on-ones on the 20-yard line yesterday so as to save their legs. So, trying to be as smart as you can be about saving legs early, knowing that you have a big block of practices next week as well.”
That was your first one-on-one day?
“It was.”
That’s kind of unusual. Why did you wait for three days to do that?
“Well, you’re just in helmets those first two days. So again, you get those shells on and you can’t put them on till day three.”
Kevin, yesterday, in that 11-on-11 with the ball period at the end and seeing Shedeur (Sanders) go with some of the twos and threes mixed in. What did you guys think of that period for him specifically?
“Yeah, for those guys specifically, I thought there was some good. Obviously we need to clean up a lot of things on both sides of the ball. We have too many jumping offsides, flinching on the offensive side. So, we have these officials out here. That’s probably the main focus of for our guys especially today. But yeah, I thought those guys some good and some bad like most training camp practices.”
Kevin, what was your first exposure to (Carson) Schwesinger in the draft season? Was it Senior Bowl or combine?
“It was Senior Bowl. Around that time is when I start putting my scout hat on and his name was coming up, and I remember putting on the tape early and then obviously spent some time with him down at the combine.”
Do you know where the inception of the Browns interest of him was? I mean before you got on the scouting trail, did Andrew (Berry) ever relay like how they found this guy?
“Good question. I don’t remember. I mean I remember watching him for the first time when you put the tape on, but I don’t remember when that was.”
Did you meet with him at the Senior Bowl or at the combine?
“At the combine, I’m sure we from the Browns met with him at the Senior Bowl, but I met with him at the combine.”
Kevin, we watch practice and, the offense looks like they’re just trying to find their footing. And not a lot of completed passes, not a lot of touchdowns in the red zone drill. What are you looking for when you go back in the film room and you and your coaches are breaking it down with the players? Is the emphasis on the results or are we reading too much into the results and it’s more about the process of what you guys are just trying to implement?
“Well, you know, when you go out to practice, everything’s competitive. So offensive guys want to have success, defensive guys want to have success. Sometimes it goes back and forth in a practice. It’s hard when you’re not in pads yet to get a full picture of what that success maybe looks like. But we’re not in the mode, while we compete every single day. We’re in the mode of teaching and learning right now on both sides of the ball. So, I’m pleased with the effort. It’s not near as clean as it needs to be on both sides of the ball.”
Kevin, with Greg (Newsome II), you know, he missed all of camp last year, so how nice and important is it to see him out here from day one? It looks like he’s making plays right away.
“Yeah, he looks really healthy, making plays. I think our coverage really in the back end has been sticky. I think a bunch of guys have done a nice job. Again, we probably have to clean up our hands at the top of some of these routes in terms of grabbing, but by and large, I think our guys have a real good understanding. And Greg (Newsome II) in particular, good to have him out there because I think he’s another vocal guy, a guy that brings juice to the defense.”
For him, do you think it’s important for him not to just be a quote, unquote, nickel guy, that he takes some reps on the outside like he has?
“Yeah, he’s a good football player. You know, I know sometimes he finds himself inside more than outside, but we like having him around the action. I think he can excel in a bunch of different areas.”
Kevin, with the changes you’ve seen in this locker room, what’s the next step for Grant (Delpit)?
“Yeah, I think, you know, Grant’s (Delpit) obviously a guy that we believe in. You give those contracts to guys that fit who you are. And Grant (Delpit) is a physical football player, fits our scheme really well and then as you get older in your career, kind of like were talking about earlier, leadership emerges. And the nice part about Grant (Delpit), what I appreciate about Grant (Delpit), is he’s the same guy every day. He’s very, very authentic in the way he leads. But yeah, how that evolves as he gets into year four is this or five, that’ll start to show itself in the next couple weeks.”
And when will you put these guys in pads for the first time, and will you take advantage of as many pad days as you possibly can?
“Yes. So, we’ll be in pads on Monday and then you can be in pads, I believe the rules say you can’t be in three days in a row. So, we’ll be smart about it. But I do think that it’s an important next step for the team.”
Is there a maximum total?
“There is, but I don’t know. Yeah, there is. It’s not like the old days, Tony (Grossi).”
Kevin, Harold (Fannin Jr.), just the growth you’ve seen out of him so far. What did you notice the most?
“Yeah, again, three days into practice. But he was here with the rookies early and just off of that offseason program in the spring. You know, a young player. I think he just turned 21 maybe, but a young developing player. Like we talked about the reason we identified Harold (Fannin Jr.) in the draft and I thought they did a great job at Bowling Green, how they used him. They really lined him up all over. And that’s something that you can only do with being intelligent and working very hard. So, we’re putting a lot on his plate — asking him to play multiple positions and playing multiple positions means you’re gonna have multiple jobs. And he’s handled all that really well.”
With David (Njoku), just the injuries last year. How do you think he has like bounced back from that and then coming into this year healing wise?
“Yeah, he feels healthy, which is so important for him. And obviously when healthy, he’s a huge part of what we do. So I’m excited for him to maintain, you know, that and practice really hard and provide the leadership that he always does.”
Kevin, generally, when you think of linebackers, you think of them as a cerebral position, physical and all that, but you think of Luke Kuechly and even the former Brown, Clay Matthews Jr. — these are very cerebral players. (Carson) Schwesinger comes off as that. Was that an attraction to this team?
“Well, I would say linebacker, down the middle of your defense, Tony (Grossi), I think you do have a lot of cerebral players, whether it’s the safeties or the middle linebackers. You’re that the nerve center of everything we do defensively. So you do have to be intelligent, you do have to have great understanding of football because you’re typically getting guys lined up, you’re making calls, you’re making adjustments. And Carson (Schwesinger) has that ability, like you mentioned. I mean, he’s a cerebral kid, but it is football, so the physical aspect of it is not too far from the evaluation either.”
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