Kevin Stefanski on preparing for the Bengals, injury report, and more: Transcript

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski took questions from reporters connected Wednesday pinch respect to preparing for nan Cincinnati Bengals, wounded report, and more.

Below is nan transcript arsenic provided by nan Browns media relations department:

• ‘I enjoyed our clip here’: Wyatt Teller faces an emotional, uncertain early pinch nan Browns
• Kevin Stefanski keeps nan attraction connected Week 18 arsenic rumors swirl astir his Browns future: Berea Report (Video)
• The point astir Shedeur Sanders that astir impresses Joe Burrow and Bengals coach Zac Taylor

Opening Statement:

“Looking guardant to nan activity week here. Got a bully believe coming and past passim this week, and evidently a awesome situation going connected nan roadworthy versus a section opponent. Saw them backmost successful week one, which seems for illustration a very agelong clip ago, but they’ve changed, we’ve changed. But looking guardant to nan situation of going up against a Cincinnati Bengals onslaught – we cognize what that entails. Obviously, bully players, bully coaches, bully scheme, that type of thing. They cognize america and we cognize them, truthful we sewage a chance to effort to moreover nan bid and decorativeness strong. So that’s wherever our mindset is, and I’ll return immoderate questions you guys got.”

Kevin, do you expect Zak (Zinter) to commencement astatine correct defender aliases personification else?

“Certainly, could beryllium Zak. We person options there. We’re moving done each of that.”

How do you deliberation he played Sunday successful his first extended chance this year?

“Yeah, evidently Zak played past play for us, has not played arsenic overmuch this year, but has been moving highly difficult and I’m seeing a batch of that difficult activity show up successful these games. So, I’m bullish connected Zak.”

Aside from nan injured players, do you expect everyone that’s patient to play Sunday?

“Yes.”

Is David (Njoku) a campaigner to perchance extremity up connected IR earlier nan extremity of nan week?

“He’s still rehabbing that injury. Expect him backmost tomorrow, but he tin update you guys erstwhile appropriate.”

With Wyatt (Teller), having to put him connected IR, conscionable really reliable a decorativeness is it for him? He has to extremity his play extremity for illustration that, and it’s his past twelvemonth nether statement too.

“Yeah, disappointed evidently for it to extremity pinch an wounded for Wyatt. He fought, rehabbed very difficult to get backmost to playing successful that one, past reaggravated that wounded early successful that game. So that was disappointing for him and for us. Obviously, he’s played done a batch of injuries earlier successful nan past arsenic well. He’s played really bully shot for us, truthful disappointed that it ended a week early.”

How is Harold (Fannin Jr.) coming along?

“Yeah, I’d opportunity he’s rehabbing very hard. We’ll see. Not going to believe today, but decidedly not ruling him out.”

With Tyson Campbell, really person you seen him fresh successful and settee in? You know, nan first Pittsburgh crippled was his first game. Then moreover nan betterment he made to Sunday’s game?

“Yeah, I’m a large instrumentality of Tyson. The measurement he carries himself, nan measurement he is successful nan building, nan measurement he plays, nan physicality pinch which he plays, really he plays nan shot successful nan aerial – he fits in. I’ve told you guys, he fits successful really good culturally, he fits successful schematically, he’s been awesome to beryllium around. So, you deliberation backmost to that first crippled that you propulsion him successful location connected short remainder and conscionable getting to cognize people’s names and that type of thing. But he battled, and that was benignant of a image of a young man who’s going to conscionable springiness it everything he has, and that’s what I deliberation you person successful Tyson.”

Kevin (Stefanski), do you person to reside nan squad astatine each pinch things swirling astir about your occupation information and each that benignant of stuff, aliases is it conscionable business arsenic usual?

“No. The astir important point is what’s successful beforehand of us, and that’s our crippled Sunday down successful Cincinnati. That’s each we attraction about.”

Kevin, pinch Harold, each nan worldly you guys person asked him to do this year, and I cognize he did a batch of that successful college, but astatine what constituent do you commencement to consciousness comfortable putting much and much connected his sheet arsenic you’re going done nan offseason and into nan caller year?

“Yeah, there’s nary shortage to nan schemes that you want to tally pinch him and nan roles that you want him to beryllium in. I’ve told you guys complete nan years that those roles for illustration that are earned, and he’s earned it pinch really we spot him, really he learns – nan things that he tin do arsenic a runner, arsenic a blocker, arsenic a receiver. There’s been times wherever you want to propulsion him nan ball, but you besides want him to beryllium nan blocker, truthful you’re benignant of, ‘All right, good we can’t do some successful this play,’ truthful you’re conscionable trying to operation and lucifer wherever you put him. But that speaks to his versatility, which I deliberation speaks to his intelligence.”

Was location immoderate clip successful August that you thought he’s really fresh for this? Or was it earlier that?

“Probably earlier that, Zac (Jackson). He was 1 of those guys erstwhile you’re watching connected tape, you could commencement to spot it correct away, nan things that he could do for you. Then doing our homework connected him, talking to his coaches and spending clip pinch him, realizing this is simply a very mature 20-year-old that has nan propensity to study each these positions. And then, you know, passim rookie minicamp, passim nan spring, conscionable nan beingness expertise showed up – getting successful and retired of cuts, making each catch. I mean, it was beautiful evident to us.”

Kevin, pinch Shedeur (Sanders) going into this past week, what’s astir important for him successful his development, you know, ending nan twelvemonth pinch momentum?

“I think, proceed to build, proceed to build connected nan things that he’s doing really well. Like I’ve told you guys, there’s things that you inquire him to amended upon each week and he’s diligent astir those things. So it’s conscionable improving and past winning. We talked astir that past week. We want to triumph arsenic a shot team, obviously, arsenic quarterbacks, we get judged oftentimes connected wins and losses, and it’s important, you know, to decorativeness strong. So that’s what he’s going to effort and put this squad successful a position to spell win.”

Do you consciousness that 7 games – nan 7 games that you will person had by nan clip each of this is said and done wrong nan 7 starts – is that going to beryllium capable for you guys to really return a good, beardown look astatine this and say, “Hey, we deliberation we’ve sewage thing moving guardant here?”

“Yeah, I understand nan question, Mary Kay (Cabot), but for me, really, I person nan blinders connected to nan last crippled present versus Cincinnati, and that’s wherever his attraction is arsenic well.”

But what person you, I mean, what do you for illustration astir what you’ve seen truthful acold to this point?

“The breathtaking part, for illustration I’ve told you guys pinch Shedeur and pinch a batch of nan young players, is betterment and asking them to amended connected this method aliases connected this point that has to do pinch nan crippled and these guys being conscientious capable to put nan activity in. So that’s nan breathtaking portion of young players, conscionable seeing changeless improvement.”

Question astir Zak Zinter, beautiful precocious draught pick. What has kept him disconnected nan section physically? From that surgery leg?

“No, he’s had players successful beforehand of him, a young subordinate that has worked very hard, is fresh to spell successful a moment’s notice. Sometimes you need, you cognize – nan opportunity comes for a assortment of reasons, and evidently there’s opportunities coming present now perchance astatine nan extremity of nan season, but doesn’t mean that we’re not moving very difficult passim nan week pinch him. And each nan activity that he’s put successful pinch Coach (Mike) Bloom(gren), pinch Coach (Ben) Wilkerson connected nan field, I deliberation it’s been a really affirmative season. While it hasn’t needfully been represented successful a batch of reps successful nan games, I do deliberation it’s been a affirmative season.”

How awesome has (Joe) Burrow been since he’s travel backmost from nan toe?

“Yeah, I mean, their discourtesy erstwhile he’s successful location and nan things that he’s doing, we cognize having gone up against him, really difficult he is to take sides and he tin make plays connected time, disconnected schedule, tin make each throw. He’s personification that we person a ton of respect for.”

You guys person had occurrence against them defensively. What is it astir nan measurement you, nan players and nan strategy you guys person connected defense that allows you to lucifer up arsenic good against that offense?

“It’s a immense situation each week successful this league, but surely erstwhile you’re going up against Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, aggregate tight ends, Chase Brown is simply a awesome moving back. They had a bully unreserved attack. Each week presents its ain challenges, but this is simply a portion that’s playing, if not nan highest, astatine 1 of nan highest levels connected nan violative broadside of nan ball. So, we’ll evidently ever effort to put our guys successful position to spell make plays. But it comes down to their players versus our players.”