BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Myles Garrett didn’t need long to come up with a name when asked Tuesday who he thought was sitting on a big year.
“Jordan Elliott,” Garrett said.
Elliott is entering his third season with the Browns since being selected by the team in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft and is in line to earn one of the two starting defensive tackle jobs.
“One, he’s come in 20 pounds bigger, mostly muscle and he's probably the most explosive I've seen him since he's been here,” Garrett said. “He's so comfortable in his defense now, I think he's in a good state of mind and all signs are pointing towards him having a very successful year.”
Stefanski agreed with his All-Pro defensive end.
“It goes back to the spring,” Stefanski said. “I think he committed himself to physically getting bigger and stronger and being a pro at this, and he has done it. He is a young man who is I think maturing, and his game has come along, as well.”
Elliott has started four of the 32 games he has appeared in where he has a half sack, four QB hits, a pass breakup and 16 tackles on his resume.
Family first – Browns defensive tackle Isaiah Thomas is due back in town Tuesday night following the birth of his daughter. Myles Garrett returned last week after taking four days away to be with an ill family member.
Stefanski believes family is as important as football.
“I do not know necessarily that it is my philosophy,” Stefanski said Tuesday. “I just think we are all human. All of us have things going on outside of these walls and in our personal lives. I just want to make sure that we are here to support our guys.”
Garrett appreciated Stefanski’s understanding and willingness to allow him to be there to provide support.
“It really means a lot,” Garrett said. “It shows how much trust they have in me to go out there and be where I need to be within that time but also come back and do what I’m supposed to do to get back with the team and be on top of it when I get back.”
Looking deep, again – Last year during training camp all the talk was about the abundance of riches at receiver the Browns had. When the season was over, it looked like the cupboard was bare – not a single player at the position had 600 yards.
This year, the running backs are all the rage. Are they as deep as they look?
“It is really a great group. All of the guys are super talented in that room,” offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said. “They have been productive when they have stepped on the field. Obviously, Kareem [Hunt] and Nick [Chubb] have not played in the preseason, but their body of work from the last two seasons is tremendous. D’Ernest [Johnson] coming in and having success when those guys were hurt, he is another guy who you feel really comfortable handing the ball off too. Jerome Ford coming in, and John Kelly [Jr.], heck, he has had a good preseason, too. It is a solid room and really happy to have all those guys.”
Van Pelt didn’t even mention rookie Jerome Ford, who has also had a strong camp and preseason. The position group might be the most fascinating to watch a week from now when the initial 53 is put together by EVP/GM Andrew Berry.
Punter picked – Corey Bojorquez won the punting job Monday when Joseph Charlton was waived along with four other players to get down to 80 in advance of Tuesday’s roster reduction.
“You want your punter to be a weapon,” Stefanski said. “Corey is somebody who we were excited about when we went out and got him to be able to use him in some plus-50 situations, especially pin a defense down. We almost had an opportunity to do that in the last game. Then that ability to hold and that battery between Charley [Hughlett], Corey and Cade [York] is important.”
Return on investment – The Browns are the NFL’s 21st most valuable franchise according to Forbes Magazine which released their annual franchise valuations.
The publication lists the team’s value, which has nearly quadrupled since the Haslams bought the Browns for nearly $1 billion in 2012, this year at $3.85 billion.
Quote of the day – “What do I think I should be? I think I should be one. But, I mean, I'm not voting.” – Myles Garrett on where he thinks he should land on the NFL’s Top-100 list
Roll call – WR Michael Woods II, WR Daylen Baldwin, CB Greg Newsome II, RB Jerome Ford, LB Dakota Allen, Isiah Thomas (personal), DE Chase Winovich, OT Chris Hubbard, DE Jadeveon Clowney and DT Perrion Winfrey did not practice Tuesday.