Is Kellen Mond just a waiver stab by the Browns or a long-term backup to Deshaun Watson? (NFL.com)
Browns claim another big, athletic QB as a potential long-term backup to Deshaun Watson
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
With their $230 million quarterback serving an NFL suspension for 11 weeks, the Browns are still adding to their ever-changing quarterback room.
Who on Earth could have predicted the Browns’ active QB roster heading into the first week of the season would consist of Jacoby Brissett, Joshua Dobbs and now -- ta-dah! -- Kellen Mond.
They claimed Mond, a third-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2021, in their first major transaction since the cut to their first 53. Because he was a claim, Mond must take a spot on the 53 and can’t be moved to the practice squad. To make room, the Browns released Isaac Rochell, who made the first 53 as one of six defensive ends.
Mond fits the template of the Browns’ new philosophy about the quarterback position. Like Watson and Dobbs, and to some extent Brissett, Mond is big (6-3 and 211 pounds) and athletic (4.61 in the 40 at the 2021 NFL Combine).
Mond was a dual-threat QB at Texas A&M with a big arm, throwing for 9,661 yards and 71 touchdowns in 46 games, and running for 1,609 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Mond was waived after one season with the Vikings. New Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensa, who was Andrew Berry’s protégé in Cleveland, did not draft Mond and elected to go with former Browns practice squad QB Nick Mullens as the backup to Kirk Cousins. Mullens, who doesn’t fit the athletic mold the Browns now desire in a quarterback, departed in free agency to the Las Vegas Raiders and was traded to the Vikings two weeks ago.
The Browns apparently envision Mond as a potential long-range backup to Watson. Brissett and Dobbs are playing on one-year contracts.
“What we are trying to do and what Andrew is trying to do is make sure that we have developmental players,” said coach Kevin Stefanski. “[Mond is] somebody who we evaluated a couple of years ago. Bring him in and see what we have.”
More Baker drama
The Carolina Panthers and Carolina media are getting a taste of the drama that quarterback Baker Mayfield brings to his team.
The bulk of Mayfield’s press availability on Wednesday was devoted to the bulletin board-worthy quote that Mayfield will “[bleep] them up” in an off-the-record conversation with NFL Network analyst and avowed Mayfield fan Cynthia Frelund about his first game against the Browns.
“First, I didn’t say it,” Mayfield said. “Obviously everybody’s going to write whatever story they want. There’s history that I played there the last four years. I’m an extremely competitive person, everybody knows that. If I wasn’t wanting to win it would be a really big issue of me being the quarterback here, so I want to win at everything I do. That’ll never change. Now, that is not how I phrased it. That’s not even what I said. So let’s leave it at that.
“I didn’t even say anything. I talked to her. She addressed it. Go back and look what she said. All I did was agree. “I hope we win.’ It’s pretty plain and simple. I don’t think that should be harped on.”
Mayfield said he is off social media (again) and it was “shocking” to learn of the media firestorm his alleged comments created. Frelund divulged them on a podcast with NFL Media. Mayfield admitted the story was “just a slight distraction just answering questions right now.”
“In the grand scheme of things it really doesn’t matter,” Mayfield said.
Back at the Browns’ ranch, cornerback Greg Newsome became the second member of the Browns’ defense, after Myles Garrett, to agree that Mayfield’s comment – whether real or not – will be used to rile up the troops for the Sept. 11 game in Charlotte, NC.
“I mean, for sure,” said Newsome, who returned to practice Wednesday after two weeks with a hamstring strain. “You try to find anything that can give you an edge. So something like that being said, whether he said it or not, we can just use it for our benefit and go out there and try to get a win.”
Cooper confident, kind of, in the young receivers
Berry failed to address the suspect receivers situation with a waiver claim or trade. He did bring back camp releases Mike Harley and Daylen Baldwin to the practice squad.
But unless Berry adds a veteran soon, the Browns will head into the season-opener with Amari Cooper and a lot of questions marks – Donovan Peoples-Jones, rookies David Bell and Michael Woods, basket case Anthony Schwartz and perpetual man-in-motion Demetric Felton.
Cooper was asked for a “state of the receivers room” in the backdrop of external criticism of the position group.
“I don’t feel like we need help,” he said. “I haven’t been seeing what outside people have been saying. That’s just something we have to wait and see. Once the games start rolling around, we’ll see if we need help there.”
After further questioning, Cooper’s endorsement of the group behind him grew stronger.
“I believe in the young guys,” he said. “I see the way they practice. They make plays. They’re very attentive. They’re very humble. They’re always seeking advice and they take advice and bring it out on the field. So, yeah, I believe those guys can surprise a lot of people.”
Brownie bits
The Browns filled 12 of their 16 available spots on the practice squad with players released from camp. Besides Harley and Baldwin, the Browns added: linebacker Dakota Allen, tight end Miller Forristall, center Brock Hoffman, cornerback Shaun Jolly, running back John Kelly, cornerback Herb Miller, tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden, defensive tackle David Moore, defensive tackle Roderick Perry and offensive tackle Alex Taylor. Moore is converting to defensive tackle from offensive guard …
Defensive end Chase Winovich returned to practice after missing several weeks with a hamstring injury. Stefanski was asked what’s the attraction to Winovich, who hasn’t shown much even when healthy. “He is somebody who we worked in a lot with the ones and twos previous to [the first preseason] game, and we have tape on him. We kind of know the player. Excited about what Chase is going to do for us,” Stefanski said …
Jack Conklin appears on track to return to his starting right tackle position for the opener. “I am not going to get too far ahead, but he is progressing. He is where we want him,” Stefanski said.
