BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – As expected, Kevin Stefanski will sit the majority of his starters for Saturday night’s preseason opener in Jacksonville.
“The plan is to rest the majority of the starters,” Stefanski said prior to Thursday’s practice, which was moved up an hour to work outside before another round of storms blew through northeast Ohio. The team was forced indoors Wednesday where they only have 50 yards of space available to them.
Stefanski declined to say if we will see the starters at all this preseason.
“We will address that when appropriate,” Stefanski said. “The focus is on this game for right now.”
Backup quarterback Case Keenum will start the game and third-string quarterback Kyle Lauletta will finish it against the Jaguars.
“What these guys have to do is operate, and that is what they are trying to do,” Stefanski said. “They need to function, get guys in and out of the huddle, line them up, motion shifts, get the ball out of their hand appropriately and those type of things. Looking for both those guys to operate at a high level.”
Healthy rookies, including cornerback Greg Newsome II and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah are expected to see plenty of playing time. Cornerback Greedy Williams and offensive lineman Chris Hubbard, who are returning from injury will also see the field.
“It is going to be great to see those guys,” Stefanski said.
“I also think about the sophomore class – a lot of those guys who did not have a preseason [last year]. To get them some game reps is just as exciting.”
Everyone will make the trip to Jacksonville, but it won’t be a vacation for those who aren’t scheduled to play.
“We have a plan to work them out over the next few days to where they are staying in shape, working with each other, working individual drills and those type of things to make sure they just do not lose three days, so to speak,” Stefanski said.
A year after the preseason was wiped out due to COVID, many coaches around the league are opting to sit their starters for their openers this week.
“Certainly, last year was eye opening for a lot of coaches and players,” Stefanski said. “Now, no one had a preseason last year. It was the same for everybody. We are just trying to do what we think is right for each one of our individualized players. That is the important part for us is ‘What does that player need to get ready for the season?’ The answer to that varies by player.”
Stefanski conceded that the addition of a 17th game to the regular season also factored into the decision.
“You take it all into account,” Stefanski said. “You take what you learned last year, you take the extra game and you take your players. As we talk about what we are going to do as a team and talk about our plan with the coaches, we are just going to do what we think is right for the Cleveland Browns and specifically what is right for each player. That is how we will approach really all of our decisions.”
