Players are back in Berea after phase one of the offseason kicked off for the Browns on Monday. Kevin Stefanski took to the podium on Tuesday to discuss the recent news and season outlook. From talking about the tragic loss of former defensive end Chris Smith as well as the recent arrest of Perrion Winfrey and what if it affects his current roster position with the team.
He also addressed the rumors around Greg Newsome and the status of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah after his injury to end the 2022 season. Let’s look at what Stefanski had to say on Tuesday to kick off the off-season program.
On the passing of former Cleveland Browns DE Chris Smith:
“Ok, first of all, my condolences to Chris Smith’s family. That was tough news to hear today. I didn’t know the young man, but I know a lot of people in this building did. I know players played with him, so that’s just way too young. That’s a tragedy. Definitely thinking about his family today.”
On Day 2 of having the guys back in the building:
“Today, talking about football, here we are Day 2 of this offseason program. Excited to have the guys back in the building, as you can imagine. It’s no fun when this building is half empty. It’s meant to have players in there, so it’s just exciting to walk down here to see you guys and there’s players in the locker room. They’re yelling at each other and they’re carrying on and they’re drilling a basketball and whatever else they’re doing. It’s just good to have those guys in here. For us, this is really a foundational time. It’s about getting foundational knowledge of our systems and you really have to start at square one. If you’re going to build on top of it, you got to be real sound in what you’re doing. So that’s really how we focused this offseason program in these first few days. In these first few weeks, just really starting at the basics. Starting with early meetings. It’s onboarding week. We’re not just jumping right into football. We want to talk to each player, talk to them individually about what they can get better at and then dive into the nitty gritty. That’s what we’re doing with this time in the classroom.”
On how last season went and having a fresh start:
“Yeah, I think that’s fair to say. I think for every player, things change year to year. Teams change year to year. We talked about that. You have new faces in this building. You have new coaches, new players. Year to year just feels so different. Certainly, for (QB) Deshaun (Watson) to have that season under his belt, those experiences and be able to learn from everything that’s happened last year, into the past, I think he’ll be a better player for it. I think we’ll all be better for everything we’ve been through.”
On DT Perrion Winfrey:
“I think, as you can imagine, I won’t get into who’s here on a day-to-day basis, that type of thing. It’s a voluntary program. With any of our players, I want them to be safe when they’re not in this building. I want them to be making sure they’re following all rules out outside of this building and making sure they’re being safe in the community. In this particular instance, we’ll gather all the information we need to and monitor it. I’m not ready to go past that, other than to tell you, taking all this in as we go.”
On what WR Amari Cooper will be able to do since having surgery:
“We’ll take it slow with him. He’s feeling good, but I’m not on the field with those guys for another couple weeks. OTAs aren’t until May. He’s somebody–we will not rush him back to the field. We’re going to make sure that we take our time and utilize all these days to get his body right, get his mind right. When that is, I can’t say exactly.”
On if LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was able to heal his foot without surgery:
“He did not have surgery. He’s in rehab as we speak, as well. He’s ramping up. He’s doing a good job down in the training room.”
On the kind of message he gave to the team on the first day:
“It is April, so you do have some time until that first game rolls around. Yesterday was really the first thing that we’re going to do as the 2023 Browns. That’s Day 1. Again, it’s voluntary. We want this to be a place where the guys can come and get a lot of work done in a safe, competitive, fun environment. I don’t think they need Knute Rockne speeches in April. I think they need to understand what they need to do day to day, what each player needs to get better at. I think that’s such a major part of April. Early parts of these programs–find something to get better at, whether that’s mentally or physically.”
On CB Greg Newsome II’s trade rumors:
“I mean, as you know, I don’t put much stock in social media. Sorry, guys. You know, I think Greg’s in a great place. I think he’s excited, like all our guys are, and you take each situation as it comes.”
On how different the offense will be with the additions of WRs Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin:
“I think every year, you better be different. I think there’s things that we’ve already gone over with the team that are going to be different. Then, it’s a matter of carving out roles for each of our players. You mentioned Elijah, Marquis, guys that are new to our system. We have got to find out what they do well. I have a pretty good feel for it and understanding, just based on the players and the tape. I think part of our job as coaches is to use this spring to find out what really clicks for our players, the skill guys. What clicks for the quarterback? Then, you streamline all of that into your offense going into the season.”
