Head Coach Brian Daboll
July 30, 2023
Q: Do you expect wide receiver (Cole) Beasley back out there today?
A: Yes, I’ll give you these right now. So, wide receiver Jamison (Crowder) will be joining us today. Shep (Sterling Shepard) will be coming off PUP. Beasley will be back out there. Nacho (Rakeem Nunez-Roches) will be out there. And G.O. (Gervarrius Owens) will be back out there.
Q: Dabs, you said (Sterling) Shepard is coming off PUP today?
A: He is. He’ll be off, and (Jamison) Crowder will be off NFI.
Q: Other than the PUP guys, anybody else who won’t practice?
A: Ryan Jones, the young tight end, we’re going to give him a day. He had a little knee. Then, we are going to give cornerback Haddy (Jihad Ward) a day.
Q: What are you expecting to see from (Sterling) Shepard and how do you handle him this summer? This is two straight years with significant injuries.
A: We will limit him, relative to the amount of reps and just kind of bring him along. He has done a good job in the rehab process. So, he was ready to get taken off.
Q: Haddy, he didn’t do a lot the second practice, either. Is he dealing with something?
A: He’s got a little bit of something. But it’s not anything long-term.
Q: When you guys brought Jamison Crowder in, what were you looking at? He has been bouncing around but been productive.
A: Yeah, been a good player in this league. Trying to improve the competition, particularly on the inside part of the field. We thought he would be a good addition.
Q: How do you look at having like nine guys who have been most productive in their careers in the slot? Now that (Sterling) Shepard and (Jamison) Crowder are back, (Cole) Beasley, Wan’Dale (Robinson) when he comes back. They all move around, but that’s where they’ve been most comfortable.
A: Good competition.
Q: What are you specifically looking for in that competition? What are you watching that stands out to you?
A: Whoever does the best. That’s what competition is, that’s what training camp is. Try to bring as many good players as you can in and let them compete it out. The better the competition. Competition is good for everybody.
Q: How much do you care about the slot perception in your offense and how you move guys around?
A: We just do what we think is going to help us. Guys that can create separation and make some plays. We will see how it all sorts out.
Q: So much was made of wide receiver (Jalin) Hyatt’s vertical speed in college. Watching him in some of these drills it seems his short-area quickness is, I don’t want to use the word elite, but very high level. Have you seen that and does that help him move around, instead of just being a vertical guy?
A: I would say we got to bring those guys along. Whenever they’re ready to do other things, if they can do them, we try to put them in there. He’s worked really hard. He’s an athletic young man who has long speed and short-space quickness. He’s done a good job since he’s been here. He’s got a long way to go, but we’re just trying to bring him along day-by-day and maybe keep adding a little bit more to his plate each day, if he can handle it.
Q: I think we asked you in the spring about moving cornerback Nick McCloud to safety. What do you see his role as?
A: I would say he’s been a very flexible player, not just here, but in Buffalo. He has played safety, he has played the nickel, he has played corner. He has been a special teams player. So, again, it goes back to the more you can do. He’s kind of moved all around. I’d probably expect similar throughout camp. But he’s a smart player. It’s a benefit when you can have a guy who can move in a lot of different spots.
Q: When you look at quarterback (Daniel Jones) DJ in his second year with you, it was a significant jump that quarterback Josh Allen made in the second go-around with you. Are there some similarities there in terms of, not necessarily their style, but being in that system in the second year?
A: I understand the question. I would say that every guy is different. He’s in his second year and we have added some new pieces, we’re trying a lot of different things out. Time will tell.
Q: Do you have a feel of how much better he can be now that he’s got a year behind him?
A: I’d say we are taking it day-by-day. We’re trying to get better; we got a lot of work to do to figure out what we got with all these players. I know that continual improvement is on everybody’s mind.
Q: What do you think of how cornerback Deonte Banks has done the last few days?
A: He’s done a good job. He’s been out there competing his tail off. He’s athletic, has good change of direction. Short-space quickness, long speed. Has done a nice job.
Q: What did the film or your eyes tell you about outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux’s rookie year that maybe the box score doesn’t say?
A: You know me, I’m focused on this year. I think he’s a good player for us. A lot to work on. Tireless worker, but I think he’s a good football player.
Q: Following up on that with Kayvon. Anything you saw that maybe you’re really honing in on this practice?
A: No, it’s just like the DJ (Daniel Jones) question. You’ve got to try to improve your craft in every area. Every year is a new season. He’s out there working with Drew (Wilkins), smart player for us. It will be good to get the pads on here in a couple days.
Q: What does Kayvon have to do to take the next step?
A: Just be him. Take it day-by-day, get better each day and just focus on one step at a time.
Q: Friday afternoon, what got you barking at the defense so much or was it one player in particular?
A: Friday afternoon, I’m not sure which one you’re talking about. I bark a lot.
Q: I mean it looked like defensive lineman (Dexter Lawrence) miffed you a little bit.
A: I can’t even remember. I’m yelling a lot out there.
Q: Were you impressed with how tackle Evan Neal came back to camp and the shape he was in?
A: Yeah, I asked him for some tips. He’s a young guy who cares and has worked really hard. Worked hard all last year, worked hard in the off season. It’s important to him, he puts the time in.
Q: I don’t mean to insinuate in any way what happened to safety Xavier McKinney had a bright side, but you got to see a lot of safeties Jordan Pinnock and Dane Belton because of it. When Julian Love leaves in free agency, does that make you more comfortable with, ‘I’ve seen a lot of these guys last year’?
A: Yeah, I think those two guys, when they had their opportunities, did a nice job, both on defense and the kicking game. Young players that I think are improving and have the right mindset. Good competition.
Q: Do you think you’ll settle on one guy in that spot, or do you see it will be week-to-week depending on the matchups?
A: I think time will tell. We use a lot of players on defense. There’s always a lot of discussion on matchups and how we are going to play a particular opponent, so I think they all have to be ready to-go.
Q: From my perspective, you see Darren Waller making these catches and you’re like ‘wow, that looks different’. How similar is the line of thinking when you see him and go watch film of him?
A: I’d say he’s done a good job. I’ve said this the last couple days. He has done a good job since he’s been here. We are trying him on some new things, he’s been a productive player. He’s had a good start to OTAs and a good start to these three days, now fourth hopefully.
Q: What do you mean by trying some new things?
A: Just different routes. He’s run a lot of different routes in his career, he’s had a lot of different coaches. You can only run so many routes. I think there’s good give and take of how you run them, nuances to them. Body language for Daniel (Jones) to read him. We’ll keep on grinding away at that.
Q: How much does it change offensively for you guys when you can take him as the one guy when you go 3-by-1? Just personnel wise.
A: It just depends on how the defense is going to play you, too. We have used him in a variety of spots, and he has been used in a variety of spots throughout his career. How defenses are playing you, what personnel groups they want to use, relative to what the offense has in the game. I think that’s all the chess match that goes along with it.
Q: To that point, how does the defense in general deal with having Darren split out wide, going in motion, what does that do to a defense as a whole?
A: I’d say a lot of teams do that nowadays. There’s a lot of tight ends or H-back type players that have moved all around. It’s not really anything new. So, we just try to do the best we can with what he is and what we think his skillset is.
Q: You mentioned the competition at receiver. When you are determining reps and who gets what reps, how do you go about that? Is it a reward system that you have in place? Do you let the guys know, do you not want them to know?
A: I think they all know that it’s a competition. I think every player on our team knows that they are all competing. Our philosophy, Joe (Schoen) and my philosophy, is to bring them in and let them compete it out. Whoever we think is the best one, at the end of the day, that’s the guys who are going to play. They all have to earn it. They all understand that. They have to work hard, do the right thing, be where they are supposed to be. Then, ultimately make the plays, whatever position it is, that comes your way.
Q: At linebacker, if Bobby Okereke ends up being your Mike, are you okay with that or would you rather him be on the weak side?
A: I’d say whoever the two best guys are when the two guys are out there. Whether it’s Mike, Will, whatever it may be, that’s what this time of year is for.
Q: What did you think of the late practice? Did it have its intended result?
A: It was good. Guys got a little bit more rest, came out okay with it. Weather was good. It has cooled down a little bit here.
Q: That’s what you’re looking for? The difference between the rests?
A: I’d say there’s more to it than just that, but that’s definitely something we talked about.
A: Yeah, I asked him for some tips.