Head Coach Todd Monken (8.18.26)
Where have you seen the most development out of that first offensive line group?
“Probably what you see the most out of it is the rookies. I think we’ve seen a lot of development and taking steps forward from Austin Barber and Spencer (Fano), the guys you would expect that to occur. Obviously, between Elgton (Jenkins), Zion (Johnson) and Tytus (Howard), you expect them to play well, which they have. So, it’s just been hard because most teams go through this, haven’t had them all in there at one time, but that’s part of camp.”
Why did Barber move inside this week?
“We just wanted to see him inside along with maybe seeing KT (Leveston) at tackle. Yesterday we wanted to take a look at that. It kind of came out of, when Teven (Jenkins) was having a few issues with his back, we thought, ‘well, why don’t we, before we get too far down the road, look at Austin at guard, KT at tackle. Could Elton play guard? Could Wyp (Luke Wypler) play center?’ Parker (Brailsford) got dinged up, we were thinking maybe he could be at center. We’re just trying to move those pieces around to see what the best combination is.”
Todd, how has Taylen Green been doing in his limited reps, and do you think he’ll get time in the preseason?
“He’ll get in preseason [game] three. He’s doing fine. Really smart, doing a really good job. But we just don’t have enough reps for him.”
What have you seen in the competition for depth in your secondary?
“We’ve been banged up there. Losing Terrence (West), D (D’Angelo) Ross has been out, I know I’m missing some guys. Myles (Harden) has been out, (Myles) Bryant. So, we’ve been banged up there. It’s been fun watching Michael Coats Jr. play. That guy just shows up every day and makes plays. That’s probably the one that stood out with the other guys beat up at corner.”
How concerned are you with the depth behind the starters at corner given those injuries?
“Well, not yet. We aren’t playing a game yet. As we get closer, certainly, trying to find a third corner is on our radar, and within the guys we have here.”
You’ve talked about Spencer moving from right to left, but Austin played primarily left at Florida and moved to right. How has he handled that transition?
“I thought he did really well yesterday. You wouldn’t have thought that he hadn’t played guard before, or even on the right side. So, I was really impressed yesterday with the way he handled it. And I thought KT looked better at right tackle than he did at guard. Sometimes things just happen a little too fast inside, at least for them now. I would never say never, but he actually looked a little bit better flipping those guys.”
You mentioned this idea of “callousing”, taking a few more bruises now so it helps later. In what areas down the road do you think that can help you guys?
“Well, it’s been proven the more reps that you get, whether it’s in preseason games or in practice with other teams, you get some nagging injuries, but you callous yourself for some of the major injuries down the road. Again, knock on wood, we won’t have it this week either, but I’m just fired up about the way our guys practice. They don’t blink. Came out yesterday, I know I meet with you guys beforehand, that was a pretty d*** festive practice and the guys were fired up. Got a lot of good work yesterday, which is impressive for some of those guys who didn’t play a lot Saturday and then had Sunday off, usually you don’t have that kind of juice. But that’s just how our guys are wired.”
Todd, Alex (Wright) talked about some of the things he’s learned from working with Jared (Verse). Looking at Alex from spring till now, how has he grown, and how do you think he can up his production?
“It’s hard to really say. I haven’t been here with Alex in the past, and in the spring, we don’t have pads on. From afar, I’ve always had a lot of respect for Alex and how physically he plays. I think he’s developed not only being around Myles, but then Jared. I think he’s developed a real niche for pass rush, being kind of a crafty, powerful pass rusher. I look forward to seeing it. The more he plays and the more opportunities he gets, you’re going to see it.”
Alex and Denzel (Ward) talked about life without Myles (Garrett) for the first time. Now that you’ve game planned against him, how do you think offenses will approach your defense differently than when Myles was here?
“We still have Jared. That was the greatest thing about the trade. You get a Pro Bowl player in return. Going against either one of those guys is very difficult because they can wreck the game. Myles was a guy that could wreck games. You have to know where he’s at all times. And Jared’s one of those guys. We had to do the same thing at the last place I was at. You’d have to ask the other teams how they would approach that. They’re both special players.”
Today is a longer practice.
“Full pads today. Yesterday was really just shells. When we put the pads on, we’ll get nine on seven. Certainly, we’ve got to, irrespective of what we face defensively, be able to run the ball better. It starts there. You can’t control the game. I think from a pass protection standpoint, when you’ve got the full pads on, you have a chance to really see where you’re at. It’s hard in shorts and spiders. So that’s what it is, to me, it’s really about the guys up front once you put the pads on.”
We saw Elgton take a few snaps off yesterday with the first team. Is he dealing with an injury?
“We’ll see. He’s got a few nagging things, lower body. I don’t know if he’ll be out there today, but he’s fine.”
Carsen Ryan has had to take on a lot of different roles, including moonlighting at fullback. Where’s his development there, and what’s your comfort level with him carrying out those roles if you had to play a regular season game today?
“He’s still a work in progress. He’s a rookie, we’re asking him to do things in the backfield as a fullback, which he didn’t do. I think he’s willing, I think he’s physical, but he’s learning to get his pad level down and strike and then have movement with moving targets. He’s a developmental player in a lot of areas, and I’ve been really impressed with his work. He’s certainly been durable, he’s been out there every day, which is important. We haven’t had that with every tight end in the group, so I’m excited to see his progression over the next few weeks.”
How do you feel about your edge rush rotation right now? Do you have what you need to get the job done how you want to, or will you still keep your eyes peeled there?
“I feel good about the guys we’ve got. I think we’re always looking for another edge rusher, a corner, potentially a blocking tight end. You’re looking for guys that you can fill, and that just happens to be one of them.”
Todd, there’s always so much said about the camaraderie and communication necessary with the offensive line coming together. When you have an entirely new group of players, what ways can you help that process, especially with limited reps in a game setting like the preseason?
“Well, it helps if you can run the football. That’s probably the most important thing. If you can stay ahead of the chains. Obviously, I’m not even talking about the operational piece, but if you can run the ball, that communication comes in when you have to throw it, with all of your pass protection rules, communicating with the quarterback in the backfield. Your ability to run the football, stay ahead of the chains and get the ball out certainly helps with that. You’re definitely up against it if you’re throwing it to get back on track, third downs, two-minute, you better be on point.”
You signed a wide receiver this morning. Is that because of Ced (Cedric Tillman) being out, to give you a little more depth?
“Little bit that way with Ced being down, Kole (Wilson) had dealt with a little bit of a hamstring. He’s fine. So just to make sure we have enough legs in practice.
Safe to say we’re not going to see Joe Royer at all this camp?
“I don’t know that. I’m hopeful that we get Joe back soon, but I can’t speak to that.”
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