COURTESY OF CLEVELAND BROWNS MEDIA RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
On ranking the pass game’s progression during training camp, particularly given the virtual offseason program:
“We have been really pleased with the players and the way they have embraced some of the challenges that we have had in relation to not having as much time as we normally do in a year. What we have really worked on now is the consistency and the overall details that are involved in the pass game. That is something that I think is a work in progress. I think it will be a work in progress, but I think the players have worked really hard to try to get it to where we want it, which is at a high-level. To be successful in the pass game, it is going to require us to be dependable at each position, to be as detailed as we can and to do our job on each play, and I think that is what we try to do when we have been on the field here.”
On chemistry between WR Odell Beckham Jr. and QB Baker Mayfield: “Although we did not have the opportunity to be on the field in the spring, those guys worked really hard with the quarterback. I think a lot of that as we got on the field here in the last few weeks showed up from an overall communication standpoint and from a dependability standpoint of being on the same page. It is so important to the pass game. I think that we have invested a lot of time together, and I think that has been very important in the progress that we have made. We have a lot of improvement that we still need to make in a lot of different areas, but as long as we are working, trying to be on the same page and do it the way in which we all want it done, I think that we will have a chance to have success in the pass game.”
On if it has been difficult to get continuity in the passing game with WR Jarvis Landry’s and other player’s practice schedules:
“I think that the more time and the more opportunities we have together to work on the field, obviously, it is beneficial. There are other ways in which we can make progress in the pass game without having the guys out there every rep. I know we have had a lot of really good quality walkthroughs and we have had great meetings. I think that the times in which we had all of our guys out there on the field, we have been pleased with the progress they have made. There is a plan in place for each individual guy. It is very specific to where we are with each individual person, specifically the receivers and where their rehabilitation process is and where they are. We definitely have a plan in place for that. When they do have the opportunity to be on the field, I have been very pleased with the progress that has been made. We are trying to get on the same page. Again, it is a work in progress. I think it will continue to be. There have obviously been challenges and different circumstances that we have dealt with this year that are all obvious, but we are not going to use those as excuses. We are going to try to be the best we can when we are out there together to try to get this right.”
On WR Donovan Peoples-Jones’ performance in training camp:
“I think it is a camp that is very similar to a lot of young players in that there are some things that he is a making a lot of progress on and he is doing exactly the way we want him, and then there are going to be some times where there is not as much consistency as we want. I think that is true of all young players that try to transition into the National Football League, especially in a very unique year in which we have had the limited amount of opportunities to go out there together. I have been pleased with his work ethic and his overall attitude. There is definitely some consistency that I think that all of our players right now are working to strive to be better on. I do not think it is just Donovan. I think that each player could all say the same thing that there is consistency that needs to be better, and we can do it well one time, but we need to do it that way all of the time. That is how I describe it with Donovan. He has worked hard. He has made progress. He is striving for consistency in his game, just like our other players are.”
On which WRs are vying for the third spot and who has impressed him, including WR Rashard Higgins:
“Our evaluation of that spot on our roster is still ongoing. Certainly, Higgins has done a nice job and been very competitive to try to earn that position. I think there is a very competitive situation on our roster for that spot, and we have a lot of guys vying for it. I do not think anything is set in stone. I think the evaluation is still ongoing. We look forward to getting out of the field today and then getting into stadium practice will be a great opportunity for some of these guys to be in a different setting. When you look at that area and those guys that are vying for that position, whether it is Higgins or whether it is (WR Taywan) Taylor and (WR) Damion Ratley is coming off being injured and he is coming back to the field some. Really, there are a lot of guys that are doing a good job, and I would say the competition is still open.”
On how RB Kareem Hunt has looked as a receiver:
“I have always been impressed with him both as a runner and as a pass receiver as a running back. We always are going to try to utilize the strengths of our players. I think we are really fortunate to have a lot of skill players that do several things really well. I think that can be said of Hunt in the pass game. I have always been impressed with his ability to catch the ball as a running back. I have also been impressed with a lot of other skill guys and the multiple things that they can do to help us offensively.”
On what Landry has shown on the field and in the meeting room:
“I think the one thing Jarvis has shown is that we have made a lot of progress in his rehabilitation. He is somebody that had some things done this offseason. I think that he has made progress in that. Every day is better. We have a plan in place for him with the goal being that he is playing at a very high level for us. When he has been out there, he has been a very dependable football player. He has been somebody that we can trust to do the right thing. He can play in a multiple-position role because you can handle it both mentally and physically. I think that he provides leadership for this team. I think he is one of our better leaders. I have been impressed with him. I am very fortunate to work with Jarvis, and I really am excited about the progress that he has made daily to get back to where he wants to be as a player.”
On if Landry will be close to or at 100 percent by Week 1:
“I really believe he has made progress every day we have gone out there. To say where he is going to be percentage and all that, I am not going to comment on that because I really do not know. I do think that I have been encouraged by the progress that he has made. Obviously, there is a plan in place for that, and I think he has followed the plan and worked extremely hard to try to be the best he can when we start the season.”
On if WR KhaDarel Hodge has time to catch up and be in the competition for the third WR spot:
“Yeah, KhaDarel Hodge is somebody that I have been extremely impressed with. I have a great deal of respect for the way he plays the game. The one thing that he has done is he has given himself an opportunity to play multiple positions because he studies hard and he knows what to do. He is very good mentally. Whenever you are a player that is trying to compete for a role on the roster that is a down-the-line receiver, I think it is very important that you can function in a multiple-position role and add value to the team in several different ways. Certainly, Hodge has done that so far. He does an excellent job in the run game. I think he is very unselfish as a player. I think he is dependable and detailed. I am very fortunate to have him in the receiver room, and I think he is a good example for our other players of again the overall dependability and putting the team first in everything he does.”