Head coach Kevin Stefanski said during minicamp that they were in the installation phase of the offseason, which included seven parts. Having the full roster present at practices and in meetings allowed for the opportunity to teach the system and learn all they can about each position group.
"We'll use all these practices like we have for every position to learn about our players and learn what guys do best and those types of things," Stefanski said. "For a wide receiver, want to find out what routes he's comfortable with. For the quarterbacks, find out what concepts they're comfortable with. So that's really what this offseason has been about. Of course, your mentality changes a little bit as you get into training camp."
The Browns strategically set up minicamp to rotate reps for all four quarterbacks. They used the "two-spot" method for a number of drills, structuring those team drills with simultaneous looks to create more reps for all four quarterbacks. In those periods, Flacco and Pickett ran through offensive drills on one field, while Gabriel and Sanders were on another. All four made plays throughout minicamp, connecting with numerous pass-catchers in red-zone drills, throwing deep balls downfield and displaying their ability to make their reads with a level of accuracy.
"It's a great way to maximize, and it's not just one position group that's able to get maximized," offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said. "You look at young wideouts, young linemen, young skill players across the board that we can get so many reps for now, instead of them just getting the reps from the sideline or mental reps, as coach would say. Now they're actually out there learning on the fly and things come up. You might run the same play on two different fields, get two different defenses, and now you have two opportunities to coach off of."