Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (7.29.25)
Opening Statement:
“Okay, first, like all of you, I’m thinking about the people in New York City, victims of totally senseless, tragic violence. It’s awful news. So, we’re thinking about the people that lost their lives. We’re thinking about the people that are mourning them and grieving them. That’s a tough situation, but that’s where our minds are this morning. We’ll be out here today for practice, not in pads today. So, we’ll be back in pads tomorrow since we can’t go three in a row. We’ll be doing a lot of situational work today. A lot of two minute today, as we continue down our installation schedule. With that, I’ll take any questions.”
Kevin, with the quarterbacks, do you expect the rotation to be similar to what it was yesterday?
“Yeah, I’d say similar. Again, continuing to mix and match.”
When you say you can’t have three (days in pads) in a row, that’s a rule, correct?
“That’s correct.”
Kevin, it looks like Grant (Delpit) yesterday wasn’t in team drills. Is he okay?
“You’ll see throughout the camp, we’re limiting some of our veteran players for various reasons. A couple guys will be limited today. They’re still getting good work done.”
How have the guys responded to the distribution of reps and getting more of a workload?
“Yeah, honestly, our guys come out here and I think their focus is on what’s in front of them, and what their job is on every single play. There’s a lot of these training camp practices as we get into the dawg days of this thing, they’ll start to run together for the guys, there’s so many walkthroughs. So we’re throwing a lot at them, even this morning. There’s a lot of newness for these young players. Some of the older guys have been around some of the concepts we’re talking about, but there’s a lot of work that’s done in the meeting room, mental work that’s done. It can be a lot for these guys, but they’re doing a nice job.”
Kevin, I know you guys talk about gambling. You see something like what the Guardians have going on, is that a cause to emphasize it again?
“It is. I mean, it’s. Honestly, Scott (Petrak), you want to hit these things every single day. We really, we do hit versions of it every single day. Gambling is definitely one that we’ve gone above and beyond to communicate to our guys, as you know, because it’s something that’s real. It’s something that’s affecting not just our sport, but it’s affecting all sports, including college and pros, coaches, players and officials. So, this is something that we’re going to try to stay on top of.”
On your list of worries that you’re pretty sure is gone, is that on there somewhere?
“It’s on there. It is.”
Kevin, do you think there was an emphasis on inside runs yesterday, partially to establish physicality on the day?
“We really didn’t, Tony (Grossi). We’re in our installation schedule, so yesterday was some more of our gap scheme runs that typically are inside runs, but we had a decent amount of outside runs as well. We didn’t get out there very often because the d-line was living in the backfield. We’re continuing on the installation with both offense and defense with I’d say over the next couple days, and then we’ll be through our installs and then the coaches will move around. I think you’ll see more and more situational football start popping up here today, tomorrow, and as we go.”
You mentioned the defensive line being in the backfield a lot yesterday. When there’s those plays where it’s obvious that there’s a sack on it, but then they play it through. How do you evaluate those?
“Yeah, I think I pointed out this morning, I thought our d-line has done a really nice job. They’re going to, at times beat an offensive player. They’re going to have a free path to the quarterback and then they’re going to take a right turn and get out of the way or a left turn and get out of the way. Because we obviously have to stay away from those quarterbacks. But what we asked them to do is put on tape what they’re doing. We see them win and then get out of the way. So, it may be fool’s gold that there’s a play to be had, but we want the quarterback to continue to play, and then that lets the receivers, the tight ends, the QB gets a rep, even though in all likelihood that the player would have been sacked.”
Kevin, with Joe (Flacco) now getting more reps, for any quarterback, but especially a veteran guy like himself, how does that help him get into a rhythm?
“Potentially. I think all quarterbacks would love every rep they could get. I think that’s obvious. But playing this position, and as a backup quarterback, [they] are used to going into a game with no reps. So that’s part of the role of QBs in general, is just to be ready at a moment’s notice. But I do think Joe with more reps, just like Dillon (Gabriel) with more reps, Shedeur (Sanders) with more reps, you get more comfortable as you get more turns at it.”
Kevin, we talked with MJ (Martin Emerson Jr.), and he talked about being frustrated last year and that he was never feeling like he 100%. How have you seen him work through that?
“He’s got the right mentality. He’ll have a bounce back year because he’s worked his butt off. I’m confident in the young man.”
Kevin, we talked to Dee and Jimmy (Haslam) today, and they talked about the importance of seeing these rookie quarterbacks in game situations. Is that something you guys have discussed?
“Yeah, I mean, we haven’t gotten too far down the road in where we are right now. We discussed some preseason games and the practices versus Carolina and Philly and those type of things.”
Kevin, Jimmy (Haslam) also mentioned your age and the implications of being a young coach still. How young do you feel?
“Yeah, not very. I had sent my daughter a picture of me the other day, and I said, I think I’m aging at a exponential clip. But she said I wasn’t. I have tried to convince her that this is blonde and not gray, but that hasn’t worked either. I mean, how do I feel? I feel great. I feel excited and privileged to coach this football team, and I’m excited about this practice.”
How different are you as a coach than you were when you first took this job?
“I hope I’ve learned from every year, certainly. So, the thing about our sport, which I love, I know our fans love is, you can’t predict this. It’s not scripted, and it’s the greatest reality show there is. So, we, as coaches and players, we have to be prepared to navigate anything and everything that comes our way. That’s the fun part of our business.”
Kevin, when we were talking to Martin Emerson (Jr.) earlier today, he said that he played injured last year and perhaps he should have taken a game off. How do you deal with that with players?
“It’s definitely a balance. You always are trying to protect a player from himself. We’ll never put a guy out there if he’s not able to protect himself. Then that’s that fine line where guys play injured, whether it’s injured, hurt, whatever word you want to use, that’s how guys have played this game for a long time. We’ll never do that where there’s something that they would need to protect themselves from. But I’m not surprised a guy like MJ (Martin Emerson Jr.) is going to play through injuries, because the truth is, no one’s feeling 100% once you get through a couple practices in training camp.”
Kevin, the Haslam’s (Jimmy and Dee) specifically, were asked whether it’s important to see the two rookie QB’s during the season, and that the future decisions are next year: They said absolutely, and said Kevin (Stefanski) knows that, too. So, I’m wondering, you’ve had nine quarterbacks start the last two years. Do you think the natural attrition of the season will take care of that?
“Yeah, I would tell you, I’m really not there right this minute. It is still July. It feels like July. So, we’ll just keep the focus on that.”
Any injury updates on Teven Jenkins?
“I mean, nothing other than to say everybody’s doing a nice job, so we’re getting close. Still out.”
Will he do a little more?
“He’ll do a little more. Yeah.”
Kevin, when you look at a coach like Duce (Staley) that’s very high energy, really interactive with the guys out there, says he lives vicariously through them because he can’t be out there playing anymore. What is it that some of these younger guys can learn from him?
“Yeah, I mean, Duce (Staley) brings it every single day in the meeting rooms, out here on the field. He’s so competitive. He’s been a great resource for me. He’s a former player, he’s been through all of this. He’s played this game at a high level. He’s obviously been at different stops at coaching. So, I rely on him heavily. But he’s a guy that is never afraid to share with anybody what’s on his mind, and I think the players appreciate that about him.”
He (Duce Staley) told us today that he never saw himself coaching and he didn’t expect to be coaching. Does that surprise you?
“It does. I mean, it does in the sense that he has such a big impact on this building, and not just the running back room. A lot of these guys when you’ve played this game at a high level like Duce (Staley) has, and they have the experience going through a lot of the things that these guys are going through, I think they naturally lean on a guy like that.”
(Dylan) Sampson provoked a lot of noise yesterday. What’d the hit look like on tape?
“Yeah, it was good clean hit. I mean, that’s what we’re doing right now. We’re not doing it today because we’re not in pads, but if we’re not live, we’re in thud, which means we’re thudding up the runner, and that was a good rep for Dylan Sampson to learn from, to keep his center of gravity as low to the ground as he can.”
Tell me about player development. How do coaches get developed?
“Yeah, it’s a long answer. I try to be very intentional about coaches development among our staff. There’s things that we do in the off-season, there’s things that I do throughout the year to make sure that I’m doing my part in developing our coaches. So, in some ways, I have a curriculum and how we’re trying to do that. But the greatest way to get developed, at least as long as I’ve been around, is being exposed to different coaches. We have some really, really, really good coaches that like to share with each other and sit in meeting rooms, put the tape on and go back and forth from offensive and defensive perspectives. I think there’s great value in a staff that pushes each other, both in how you see the game and also some of your shared histories.”
On those plays that are sacks, since we ignore you and keep stats and all that, should we count those? Should we not?
“Sure. Count them. Who cares.”
# # #
***Visit the Browns Media Center for materials provided by the Browns communications department, including media schedules, press releases, quotes, photos, media guides, rosters, depth charts and more.***