HEAD COACH JESSE MINTER
Opening Statement: "[I have a] couple of announcements to start. Tavius Robinson unfortunately has a season-ending injury. [I am] not going to really disclose all the details of that, but he'll miss the rest of the season unfortunately. Jaylinn Hawkins, [I am] not sure how long he'll be out at this stage, so [we are] kind of gathering more information about that one. [The announcements are] just specifically on those two guys. Again, it's Friday, we're excited about the opportunity to be back at home in front of our great fans and have a chance to play against a really good division opponent. We're excited about this next opportunity, so with that [I will open it up for] questions."
What are the chances of QB Lamar Jackson playing on Sunday? (Jamison Hensley) "I think we're still working through that, but [Lamar Jackson]'s been able to get some work in these last couple days. Again, between Lamar, our staff and us, it's going to be a decision based on him, how he feels and how effective [we] feel like it could be. So, [we] had a good couple of days, but we'll see how it goes in the next 48 hours."
Do you think QB Lamar Jackson will be listed as questionable? (Jamison Hensley) "I think we'll figure that out here in the next couple of hours."
Is one of the things you're looking at swelling after these practices? (Jerry Coleman) "[It's] just everything with it. [It's] nothing in particular, but just how [Lamar Jackson]'s feeling and how he responds to getting a little bit of work in."
So, will you take it all the way up to game time, or will a decision be made before that? (Brian Wacker) "I think it's in that phase where we certainly [will go] as long as it needs to take."
Was QB Lamar Jackson limited today? (Jeff Zrebiec) "[Lamar Jackson] was able to get a pretty good amount of work in, but [he will] probably in the limited phase. We'll see how it goes."
How did QB Lamar Jackson look with the work that he did get to get in the last couple of days? (Cordell Woodland) "I'm not really going to talk about how guys look at practice like that in that standpoint. I think [Lamar Jackson] was able to get in the work that he needed to get in and potentially have a shot to play."
What does QB Lamar Jackson need to see, is there like a threshold? (Brian Wacker) "I don't know that there is. It's just one of those injuries where it's a combination of what [Lamar Jackson] can do, how he can move, how he can do things and how effective he feels like he can be. So, we'll see how it goes."
Is there any kind of consideration either on your end or QB Lamar Jackson's end of just how last year went for him not really ever getting back up to kind of 100% after what it was before that ending? (Jonas Shaffer) "One thing I'll say about Lamar [Jackson] is there's nobody that – he's super competitive, and he wants to play. So, again, it's going to be a decision based on how he feels, how effective he feels like he can be and how we feel like it looks. So, that's really what we'll base our decision on."
We didn't see S Jaylinn Hawkins out there at the start of practice. If he's not able to play, can you just talk about how you have a lot of versatile pieces in the secondary, and how you're able to kind of overcome that in the game? (Ryan Mink) "I feel good about the depth we have there with Chidobe [Awuzie] potentially getting some more snaps, [along with] a couple of the other safeties, like K'Von [Wallace] and Keondre [Jackson], guys that have put a lot of work in to be able to fill that role. Obviously, Kyle [Hamilton] can move around and do a lot of different things. I thought Keyon [Martin] handled himself pretty well last game. So, I feel good about the pieces we have back there to be able to play the way we need to play."
With OLB Tavius Robinson out, what have you seen from OLB Zion Young and maybe OLB Ethan Burke stepping into bigger roles? (Sam Cohn) "Yes, [Ethan Burke and Zion Young] have progressed really well. They're at that point now where they've played enough, and you don't feel like they're rookies anymore in a sense that they've been out there. They've played. They understand the physicality, and they understand what we're trying to do. So, I am excited to see those guys potentially get more snaps."
How big of a loss do you feel like it is to lose a guy like OLB Tavius Robinson? (Cordell Woodland) "I honestly feel for [Tavius Robinson] more than anything. Just about how hard he works and the type of year he was having, what he brings to the group. And so that's really what it is – you feel really bad for him going through it. You feel good about the guys we have; again, [there are] opportunities for guys to step in there and get more reps. And again, nobody really cares who you have and don't have, so it's on us as a group to be able to still play the way that we need to play and get what we need to get out of the other pieces."
With S Jaylinn Hawkins, is there a fear that it could be a longer-term injury? It doesn't sound like it's a short-term injury. (Brian Wacker) "I don't think it's a fear of being really long-term."
QB LAMAR JACKSON
Everybody wants to know, are you going to be able to play on Sunday? (Jamison Hensley) "Right now, I'm heading in the right direction. I can't call it right now. I still [have] got a grace period, so we'll see, but hopefully. I feel like I'm heading in the right direction right now."
What's it been like the last couple of weeks trying to rehab? Can you take us through when you got hurt there? They twisted your ankle like a pretzel, it looked like. (Jerry Coleman) "I believe you guys [have] probably seen it. I saw the video during the game, because the game was still going on. [We were] like, 'What happened?' I really couldn't call it. I really couldn't put [any] pressure on my foot really. When I got to the sideline, I checked with [head certified athletic trainer] Adrian [Dixon], my head trainer, and we went inside [and] did some X-rays. Then I guess they found the clip of me actually getting the sack or whatever. That's pretty much how it happened. You guys [have] seen the rest. The rehab has been pretty good. It's been day-to-day. It's bothered me the whole time I've been out, and it's just been getting better."
Has it been more than maybe you initially anticipated in terms of pain tolerance, or even just working back? (Cordell Woodland) "Well, I can't call that. I don't know what grade it is. I never talked about the grade of what the sprain is. I just know it's a sprain, and it hurt bad. It was very, very, very, very, very painful. [Since] coming back, [I've] just been trying to ice it as much as possible, get the little flush, get the little cobwebs out of it as much as possible [and] get the swelling down. That's pretty much what we've been doing."
When did you feel like you turned the corner enough where you were able to get on the practice field this week? (Jeff Zrebiec) "Shoot, this week. I'll say probably Sunday at the Cleveland Browns game. [I'm] getting better. I'm getting treatment every day. I'm trying to be out there."
What do you need to see from the ankle for you to kind of feel like, "Alright, now I've turned the corner enough to be on the field?" (Brian Wacker) "[When I] don't feel pain when I'm moving. I'm trying to plant how I plant [without having] pain in my ankle. It won't do any justice for me to be on the field, because then I'm going to be limited. I won't be helping my team whatsoever."
Is that going to be the biggest thing between now and Sunday, the swelling, to see how it looks then? (Jerry Coleman) "No, the pain, not the swelling. I feel like the swelling went down a lot, but just the pain tolerance. I'm just trying to move how I move. If I can't do that, I can't help my team. I can't put my team in a situation like that. I feel like I'm doing a disservice then."
You have had injuries in the past. How would you kind of rate the pain on a scale of 1 to 10? (Brian Wacker) "I'm not trying to rate it. I'm not trying to put a number on it. It just hurts, that's what I call it."
Is it still painful when you go out to practice, with what you've been doing? (Jamison Hensley) "[I'm] trying to run, that's it. But walking, I can walk. It's just trying to run, and [I can't] put too much pressure."
What did it mean to you to get on the practice field this week and just kind of move in that direction? (Garrett Downing) "I started feeling better, like I said, [on] Sunday. Monday, we came out and [I] tried to run a little bit. I did better than I did the week prior, because I couldn't run at all the week prior. It was just crazy. It was hurting bad. Sunday to Monday, I ran a little bit. [I've] just been getting ready, icing, massaging, doing all the right things to get my ankle back."
You talk about the pain a lot — do you feel like you need to be 100% before you feel like you're ready to get out there? (Cordell Woodland) "No. I don't have a number, but I don't feel like I have to be 100%. If I can just be out there and tolerate the pain in my ankle, [then] that's it. If I can just go out there and feel the pain a little bit, I can play. But [if] I'm restricted and I can't do what I do, [then] I'm not helping [anybody]. If I can just go out there and just be a statue and be hit, that's not helping my team at all. That's just me. I feel like I'm being selfish, because it's about me at that point, for me to go out there and be hurt."
How much did last year's injury and you playing through all those injuries last year, does that impact you? (Ryan Mink) "I feel like that was dumb a little bit. I was still — I'm hurt and I'm trying to help my team win, but I'm not to my full capabilities, not even close to it. I'm just trying."
What do you make of all the discourse? There's always so much attention and so much conversation when you're dealing with injuries, whether you play, whether you can't play, people weighing in with different opinions on it. How do you kind of take all of that? What do you think of it all? (Brian Wacker) "It's going to always be that way. It's been that way. No matter what Lamar's doing, there's going to be something said, so it is what it is."
Does it make you laugh when you see people online talking like doctors? (Jerry Coleman) "Oh yeah, but I can't say anything back. I'll be wanting to say stuff back, but y'all know, they'll twist it and make it seem like I'm mad or something. But I like to have fun too, I like to play around too."
Since the injury you got a new center, who was hurt the same day you were. What's it been like working with C Cam Jurgens as he's kind of gone on the field? (Sam Cohn) "[Cam Jurgens is] awesome, man. That guy's smart. He's calling out stuff already. I was shocked. I'm like, damn, he's a pro. I'm looking forward to playing with Cam. It's going to be great. He's going to be great for us. [He's a] great addition to the squad for sure."
Is there a time you need to know to be able to flip that switch to getting ready for the game and get mentally prepared to play? In your mind, could this go all the way till 10 a.m. Sunday morning before you make a final decision? (Jeff Zrebiec) "No, because if it feels better tomorrow, we'll know tomorrow. I can't call it. I just have a grace period until Sunday, however it may be."
I think it was reported that this isn't a high ankle sprain. It's not a low ankle sprain. I mean, is it a deltoid sprain if you're comfortable saying? (Jonas Shaffer) "I thought it was a high ankle sprain. Who said that?"
Ian Rapoport said it wasn't a high ankle sprain. (Jonas Shaffer) "Ian Rapoport said that? [Is] he part of the training staff?" (laughter) "We can't go off Ian Rapoport. He [is] just reporting. Somebody probably told him that too though, so [I] can't blame him. But my staff told me it was a high ankle sprain, so we [are] going with what [head certified athletic trainer] Adrian [Dixon] told me. I'm going with what Adrian told me."
QB TYLER HUNTLEY
With QB Lamar Jackson's status up in the air right now, how do you prepare going into this game? (Jamison Hensley) "Just like every week, I just prepare to play, and once we get to Sunday, we're going to see."
Do you expect it to come down to Sunday, and that's when you'll find out? (Jerry Coleman) "I mean, I just have to be ready to play Sunday if that's the case."
How do you guys go about putting up more points than you guys have over the last six quarters? (Cordell Woodland) "We just have to. That's what we are going to have to do to win. That's what's required, so we have to."
Is there something specific after that first quarter in Cleveland, during the next three quarters, of where the offense kind of might've lost its groove? (Sam Cohn) "We just were making critical mistakes. Just on everybody's part, everybody [needs to be] doing their 1-of-11. We just were making the wrong mistakes at the wrong time."
How has the acclimation process been with C Cam Jurgens and working with a new offensive lineman? (Kyle Youmans) "[Cam Jurgens] is doing a great job. Even when he's not in, or when he just took his reps that day, he's been in the back asking what the plays are, working through his calls. When he gets back in, he's been amazing."
How do you feel like C Cam Jurgens has been picking up that playbook? (Kyle Youmans) "[Cam Jurgens] has been doing a great job. He's been doing great, going out there every single play that he's out there [and] making his calls. He's doing great."
What are the challenges of having two quarterbacks kind of going back and forth throughout the week? You're not totally sure who's going to play, plus a new center who's coming off concussion protocol and kind of easing his way in? What are the challenges of having that sort of rotation amongst those three? (Sam Cohn) "That's why we do [center-quarterback exchange] and stuff every day, rotating centers, getting snaps with everybody, and we all get great numbers of reps. So we're just making sure that we're all fine-tuned when we get in there."
You obviously know QB Lamar Jackson. How have you sensed that he's dealing with the injury? Obviously, he's trying to get back out there, but how have you just sensed his mood in trying to get back on the field? (Brian Wacker) "[Lamar Jackson] has been working hard, but I know if he's ready to play, he's going to play. There's no question about that. So, we'll see come Sunday if he's ready to play."
OLB ZION YOUNG
How tough is it to lose a guy like OLB Tavius Robinson? "It's really tough. A guy that can stop the run and rush the passer. It's a lot, but we have guys. I'm praying for Tavius [Robinson]. [I hope for a] speedy recovery for him. I love him like my own brother."
What do you feel like you've taken steps over these six weeks that gives you the confidence of being ready to step into an increased role? "First off, earlier this year, as you know, the emphasis has been stopping the run, but moving forward, I'll have more opportunities to rush the passer. I'll most definitely try to fill that role knowing that Tavius [Robinson] is gone, but he's been doing a tremendous job."
Are there things that OLB Tavius Robinson has taught you that maybe have helped along the way over these first few weeks? "Just go out there and fly around, for real. Just fly around and be me. [I'm] a guy with a lot of energy. I'm the young guy of the group, really, so I have fun."
As you're still very early into your rookie season, do you get excited to look at these matchups against quarterbacks like Joe Burrow? "1,000 percent. I've been watching these guys. I was watching the Bengals when Trey [Hendrickson] was there. That's how I turned into a big fan of Trey. So, of course I've played against great quarterbacks before, but [I'm looking forward to] facing Joe Burrow. I'm excited. 1,000 percent."
Where do you feel like you've made your biggest strides so far early this season? "Well, first off, catching up to the speed of the game. Coming from college and then going to the NFL, the speed of the game is kind of different. Of course, I've been here for a while, but [the] speed of the game for sure."
How do you think your kind of work as a power rusher has translated to the NFL? "It has been smooth. I can be better, but now at this point, if you lean on power, you have to find counter rushes, so that's the emphasis."