Pass Game Coordinator/ Wide Receivers Chad O’Shea (8.9.23)
Chad, Austin Watkins. What do you make of him?
“Yeah, Austin Watkins is somebody that has come and made the most of his opportunities for us. He’s a player that has gone in the game and done exactly what we’ve asked him to do. He’s been able to make some plays, and I think he’s been able to make some plays because he has embraced the opportunity with his work ethic. And he’s leaned on some of the other veterans. I’ve told him that Donovan Peoples-Jones is a great example for somebody that’s been in our program and made the most of his opportunities, especially young in his career. And so he’s benefited from our veterans in our room, like a guy like Donovan. But he has truly made the most of his opportunities. And I think the guy has gotten open and caught the ball, and that’s what we’ve asked our players to do.”
Does he have a contact here?
“Yeah, I mean, our personnel department does a great job of finding these guys. I mean, really, they do such a great job when we are need of a player. They bring in guys that not only kind of fill that void, but guys that can come in and play. So I know that it’s credit to our personnel department for locating him and getting him here.”
Was he any good in the USFL?
“Yeah, we’re very thorough between the personnel department, the coaching staff, of really going through all that film. The USFL was a great league for us to have– to be able to pull players from. He benefited greatly by playing in the USFL. And our personnel department, again, did a great job. Credit goes to them of locating him on a lot of hard work on the film of getting him here.”
Where is David Bell at in his development?
“Yeah, I mean, obviously, when you’re the second lap around the track, as David is for us, so many of the things from a rookie experience are gone. You don’t have to deal with some of the rookie things that you deal with in first year that are challenging for all rookie players despite the position. So he’s now in that second lap and he knows the offense. He’s comfortable with his surroundings. I feel like we can play him at all positions because mentally he’s so strong and he’s got flexibility that way. And that’s really important for our players here. The more they can provide from a position standpoint, the more we can bounce them around to allow other people to maybe do their job as well as theirs. It’s a benefit to them and our team.”
That’s a good segue to Cedric Tillman, the rookie. He doesn’t physically doesn’t look like a rookie. I’m just wondering your thoughts on how he’s come along?
“Yeah, Cedric is, as all rookies, Cedric has experienced the challenges of being a rookie. Not only learning the offense, but just learning how to be a professional. But Cedric, we’ve been very pleased with the way he has come out here and worked. He’s really been very coachable. Not only has he been coachable, but he’s really taken some of the veteran leadership that we have and really taken advantage of that. And we have such a strong room. As far as the character of the group, I mean, I can’t say enough about our receiving group at the Cleveland Browns has very strong character, very strong work ethic and traits, and it’s a great example for him. And I think he’s looked left and looked right and he’s had great examples to kind of lead him down the right path.”
His size really stands out. What else about his skill sets do you like?
“Yeah, I mean, the things that jump out is his size, his physical play, and then his ball skills are exceptional. So if he can play to his ball skills, which are exceptional in his size, that’s going to be something that he can create his role and play for us that way. ”
How about Anthony Schwartz? How do you feel about his rebound from his first touch last week not going how he wanted to?
“Yeah, the one thing about Anthony is we know he’s had some tough times along the way since he’s been here at Cleveland, and he’s been resilient. He really has. And that’s one of the things that I think he’s had to learn how to do, is to bounce back from maybe some adversity. So that’s the good part, is he’s been through some adversity. He’s already had some adversity at this camp with injuries and maybe not being as consistent on the field as he wants to be, but we have confidence that he’s going to go out there and know what to do. He’s going to play fast, and he’s another guy that’s just so coachable. He’s a great person. He works extremely hard at catching the ball, and at the end of the day, we need to catch the ball, and he knows that. And I just can’t say enough about how approaches from a preparation standpoint, he’s just been very professional like our entire group has been. So I’m just proud of Anthony for despite some bumps along the way, to just keep working through it.”
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