HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL

Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, August 13, 2026

Q: Obviously, you had a lot of backups in your game. Was it good to see the defense produce four turnovers right out of the gate?

MV: I think they better have. I think they better have or there would have been a lot more points that they scored. The turnovers are great, and I love us attacking the football and taking advantage of that. Just a lot of things to clean up, but when you talk about the ability to create turnovers, it can change the game. Just try to defend every blade of grass down there on the goal line, and come up with a big turnover there.

Q: Just kind of big picture, what you took from the week with the joint practice and then tonight.

MV: Yeah, it's good work. Hopefully, everybody came out as clean as possible. That's a good football team. They run the ball well, and good up front, and gave us multiple looks defensively throughout the practice. I felt like it was good to work with them and try to have a productive game.

Q: Just wondering when you knew Christian [Gonzalez] was not going to be here tonight and when you had that conversation.

MV: Christian was in a group of many players that weren't here tonight.

Q: On Terrell Jennings, we learned before the game he ends up on IR. Anything you can add to that? And a follow-up with Jam [Miller], what did you see from Jam tonight?

MV: Yeah, no follow-up. We put guys on IR that are going to be out for an extended amount of time, and unfortunately, Terrell will be in that group. But it was good to see Jam come out and have some nice runs. I felt like he ran with his pads down and had a couple physical runs, and was happy for him. This is a great evaluation. We can start to figure out guys that can and start to figure out guys that can't too.

Q: Andy [Borregales] missed a couple of field goals today. What was your message to him?

MV: Three. I don't have a message. We're expected to make them. That's pro football. They're banging them in from 60 yards. They got two kickers on the roster, so Andy knows that we have to make those field goals.

Q: Just curious with Ben Brown, we saw him go down and then into the locker room. Do you have any update on him and what happened there?

MV: No, he wasn't able to return unfortunately. We'll evaluate, hopefully know more in the morning. I don't think it's anything too serious, but I also don't want to speculate until we're able to do some more tests.

Q: Kyle [Williams] had that drive starter on the one-minute drive, the 18, and then the next play, the bomb down the sideline that fell short of him. You were talking to him after. What was the message there on that long play?

MV: The defender wasn't playing the football, and as grossly underthrown as that ball was, still we want to try to make an attempt to come back and understand the rules and how they're calling it. If the defender's not playing the ball, let's see if we can't go back and get a cheap one and try to create some contact if they're not playing the ball.

Q: Just as default, that speed that [Kyle Williams] showed, and you were having that conversation last week.

MV: Oh yeah, you guys were all laughing at me when I told you the other day. But no, you just keep chipping away at it and keep progressing and keep learning and working hard. The guys all understand. The guys in the receiver room, those guys are the first guys down there to celebrate his success, and I think that that's, you just want to see guys that keep working and progressing and then see it translate into the football game.

Q: What were your impressions of Gabe [Jacas]'s performance tonight?

MV: I will probably have to watch it. I'm not going to talk too much. I challenged him on a kickoff, and he made a tackle. I didn't think that his efforts were maybe good enough on the kickoff. I didn't expect that the guy that was blocking him to be able to block him, and then I challenged him, and he came up with a tackle on the kickoff. So that was a positive, and then we'll just keep coaching him just like the rest of the guys.

Q: Also, the NFL is allowing someone else on the sideline outside of the head coach to throw the challenge flag this season. Is it fair to say with how you launched it tonight that you aren't interested in delegating that responsibility?

MV: I don't think that that's new because I think that there are other people. I don't know where this is getting so much traction. I think maybe it's on a form now that it's a designated person. The officials will normally ask us 90 minutes prior to the game. You have a meeting, and you go through who has the challenge flag, who's the get back coach, who's the captains, who has a cast, running any trick plays, anything that we want to look for. They've always asked me who has the challenge flag, and I know that there's been other players, or other people other than coaches. So I was kind of surprised that this got talked about, but no, I'll keep the challenge flag.

Q: Just on Christian [Gonzalez] for clarification, did he suffer an injury in Monday's practice, and is that why we haven't seen him?

MV: Christian was unavailable, physically unavailable for the practice. That's the clarification. Just like other players that I told to have treatment, and everybody has a plan here, there were other guys that were in that same category. If you want to list the names, Christian Elliss, Brenden Schooler, Harold Landry, Christian Barmore, et cetera. So make sure they're all included. They were all in the same group of what they did.

Q: For a guy like Behren Morton, who's kind of first time in this situation, are there things you're looking for in terms of the way he's carrying himself and the way that you're getting more than just how he throws the ball?

MV: Well, I think a lot of this is composure. It's making sure that everybody's on the same page in the huddle, right? And that as guys get tired or you get tired, the play call is consistent, and everybody knows what to do. There's a big responsibility, and it often gets overlooked, is just the operation and the quarterback making sure that everybody's in the right formation. Crazy things happen out here, especially in preseason games. So I think that's the first thing, and then just trying to put the ball in the right spot, which I thought he did, and then unfortunately the last one there was tipped because I thought we had a play there at the end of the game.

Q: I know you told radio that you wanted the defense to affect the quarterback a little bit better than they did in Tuesday's joint practice. How do you feel like the front did that tonight?

MV: I thought we started probably better in the second half, it looked like, than it was in the first half. So we tipped a couple passes and we hit him a couple times there in the second half.

Q: With Tommy [DeVito] in the first half, just how did you evaluate his performance and what you saw from him?

MV: Good. I thought there may be a couple balls that he'd like to have back. But I thought that there was good operation. I thought there was good placement. I think Mack, he probably should have had the one, and then I think the next one was a little high. But I thought for the most part, he was fairly accurate, and the ball came out on time.

Q: I know you guys signed Hassan [Haskins] and JaMycal [Hasty]. Do you feel confident that the third running back on your team is on the roster right now, that someone in that room can take that spot?

MV: Yeah, I mean, I think you try to see what you have in the young guys, and then those guys are veterans. They've played. They're probably two different style of backs, but I like both of them personally. We've had some experience with Jamycal, and then going back to Tennessee with Hassan. I think it's probably too early to tell for both of them. I know that they're going to compete, but we just got them yesterday to be able to get them ready for the game. I appreciate Tony Duce's efforts to be able to do that.

Q: Just a follow up on Andy. Last week, you said you feel comfortable about the specialists, and after tonight's game, has your evaluation changed? Would you want to bring some competitions to that group?

MV: Well, I'm sure we'll talk about it and see where we're at. I'm not going to make any decision tonight. But again, we're going to have misses. We're going to have mistakes. In everything we do, we just need to be able to come back. We need to be able to bounce back, and we need to be able to answer. Guys are going to drop a pass. Guys are going to miss a block. We're going to miss a kick. But you just have to not let those things pile up, and Andy's been really good with that, and I would anticipate him getting back to work and really starting to focus, and maybe it was a footwork thing or trying to overswing. But I have confidence in Andy. I just, you want to be able to make those, and I think we got in a position to win the football game, and you want to be able to make them.

QUARTERBACK TOMMY DEVITO

Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, August 13, 2026

Q: Tommy, your assessment of what you were able to do and maybe what you need to work on as you got through this first game tonight.

TD: Yeah, certainly not our cleanest game on offense especially. A lot of penalties, a lot of little things that kind of set us back. When you have three or four explosives in a drive that get called back, it is tough to score that way. But there was definitely a lot of good that happened. You could tell when we were playing, everybody was doing their job. The ball was moving down the field. But like I said, just did not start off hot enough. And I think that a lot of the penalties and little mistakes here and there, they just need to get nipped in the bud early because it just kills drives.

Q: Tommy, not that long ago you were in Behren [Morton]'s shoes. What did you see from him in the way he carried himself, and did you offer him any advice along the way?

TD: Oh, for sure. He definitely enjoyed it. He had some fun. I try not to fill his head too much because like I said, I have been there. Your first time really operating this offense against another team where you are able to get hit. You do not have that red jersey on anymore. But at the same time, enjoy it because training camp is a long time, OTAs— you grind all that to be able to enjoy times like this. So go out there, enjoy it, and just be yourself. And that was it, and he did.

Q: Tommy, in terms of your growth, how different a quarterback are you right now with what you were on the field today than the first day you stepped in this building?

TD: Day and night for sure. Everything definitely between the ears, especially because being able just to know what the defense is doing— that is a testament to the offense and the way that the plays are called and just helping me figure out what they are doing before I even snap the ball, and it just makes that game that much easier.

Q: Tommy, you started tonight two for five, nine yards. Looked like the offense in general was not very smooth in the beginning. But on that fourth drive, you led them all the way down to the touchdown to Kyle [Williams]. What do you think changed as far as how you played and how the offense played on that drive?

TD: Yeah, I think just stuff is going to click. I think for myself, I missed a couple throws early, one over to Mack [Hollins] down the middle. I think the juices were flowing maybe a little too much, a little too much excitement, a little too much pace on the ball. So, really just taking some time to settle in. Like we said, first time really bullets are flying around myself specifically because we have that red jersey on, so it is a little different. But it is good. Once you get into that flow and then start feeling it and the guys around you are playing, it just becomes easy at that point.

Q: Quite a few handoffs to Jam [Miller]. First time we really got to see the running game with full tackling. What type of runner is Jam Miller in your view? And what did you think of the end of the game with the crowd and just the energy for a first preseason game?

TD: Yeah, Jam was great. Again, another rookie that is stepping up to the plate, whether it is in pass protection or to run the ball. He is confident in the huddle. You do not see him looking around and acting like he does not know what is going on. So, his confidence, that helps myself and everybody in the huddle believe in him and feel confident— so when we hand him the ball, he lowers his pads. He will lay the boom on somebody. He also has a little shiftiness that I am ready to see some more and more. The more tackling that I get to see him partake in, it will be fun. But the crowd was a lot of fun. I do not know what they had going up in that little student section, if you want to call it that. I felt like I was in college again, but that was awesome. They were rowdy. It was a lot of fun.

Q: Tommy, how do you feel here in camp now with all you have been through as a quarterback? Do you feel like you are ready to take the lead, be the player you want to be? Do you feel comfortable here with Josh [McDaniels] and everything that is going on?

TD: For sure, yeah. Like I said, just so much growth from the first day that I got here— from last year up until now, and so much more that I can grow, so I am looking forward to that. I really cannot wait to get into this film, because there were a lot of mistakes that were made from everybody, myself included, whether that was physical or mental. For me, I would rather the physical mistakes, because that is going to happen. You are going to want to throw back. You are going to miss a throw. That is just part of the game of football. But the mental ones are the ones that I am trying to eliminate, make sure I am going to the right spot with the ball, make sure I am making the right read and doing all this and that because those are the things that we correct in the classroom. I am trying not to make those mistakes again. So again, looking forward to it, but definitely a ton of growth from then until now, and I am looking forward to building on it for next week.

QUARTERBACK BEHREN MORTON

Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, August 13, 2026

Q: Did you have anyone supporting you here today? Who might that be? And what were your thoughts on the fans at the end of the game?

BM: Yeah, so my mom came, my sister came, and my fiancée came down. My fiancée moved up here, actually today, so she's up here now. Today was awesome. The fans and atmosphere were great. Getting to play at a stadium like this, that we call home now, this is really cool. And I really had a lot of fun today, enjoyed it.

Q: Behren, in terms of your own development, what things are you trying to show? Obviously you are trying to show you know how to run the plays and throw the football, but what things are you trying to show to your teammates, in terms of command of the huddle, and especially at the end there where you were running some tempo as well?

BM: Yeah. I think that it reverts back to what we've been through this fall camp, trying to prove a point to be on this team. I think if I show you know what you are doing, that shows respect from the veterans. And so, just taking it one day at a time too, not getting ahead of yourself. Today was awesome, getting to go out with those guys that we've been getting a lot of reps with. You go out there and go play against someone else, it was a lot of fun. But there's a lot to correct, for sure. So, it's just a starting block for us, and we have two more games, so we've got to look forward to that.

Q: Behren, did you have a moment where you soaked it in, in that first NFL game in an NFL stadium? How good did you feel about the drive at the end to set up Andy [Borregales] for the attempt for the game-winning field goal, to be able to accomplish what you wanted to do to get you guys in field goal position?

BM: Yeah, once we got out there for pregame, it was kind of a surreal moment. You're playing at such a legendary place, and so it was really cool to be there in that atmosphere. And then as the game went on, we just have got to be better on first and second down. We can't have penalties that put us behind the chains. And it starts with me. So, being commander of the huddle, getting back to what's next, what's the next play, and let's have a positive play. But we're just trying to execute, we're trying to do our job and put us in a good position.

Q: Going out for that potential game-winning drive at the end, was anything said by Drake [Maye] or Tommy [DeVito] before you took the field, in terms of just trying to calm you down or maybe find the right mindset going out there?

BM: Just take a deep breath, it's just football, is what they said. And at the end of the day, it is just football. The ball is going to get spotted, and we had a minute and something left. So, it's our job to do what we are supposed to do and move the ball down the field. We should've pushed the ball further down the field for Andy. But proud of the way that we responded. We got pretty sluggish in the third, sluggish in the fourth and finished off the fourth better.

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