Kevin Stefanski does not like to see his players fighting, because it takes away from what they are doing in practice.
Earlier this summer, the Cleveland Browns’ head coach made the Browns run sprints after a number of fights broke out at training camp. Those skirmishes included punches being thrown between Ogbo Okoronkwo and James Hudson III.
Fights during summer practices are par for the course, but Stefanski is making it clear that they won’t be tolerated and he has a unique way to ensure players won’t engage in it.
Stefanski told Sports Illustrated that he has two sets of protocols for dealing with players who fight in joint practices.
If a player who starts is engaged in a fight, they will be forced to play in Cleveland’s next preseason game. If a backup fights, he will be forced to sit out the Browns’ next preseason game, which is detrimental to them showing how good they are to fight for a spot and make a team.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted the example of Panthers cornerback Troy Hill who got into a scuffle with Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard in a joint practice between the two teams. Stefanski then made Hill, a starter, play in the Browns’ next game.
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The 2023 season is an important one for the team as Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson knows he must prove he’s still elite after missing nearly two years of playing time.
The Cleveland Browns will need Deshaun Watson to regain the form he showed with the Houston Texans if they’re going to best last season’s 7-10 record.
Watson posted a QBR of 38.2 last season. After being suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 NFL season, Watson and the Browns went 3-3 in the team’s final six games. Watson tallied 1,102 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions in those final six games.
